| Work Detail |
A study by the University of Freiburg and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems concludes that installing colour-matched solar modules on the roof or façade of a building further increases the social acceptance of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).
Matching the colour of solar modules to the roof or façade of the building on which they are installed can further increase the social acceptance of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), according to new research.
The joint study, conducted by the Institute of Psychology at the University of Freiburg and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, includes two surveys investigating which solar module designs are accepted in different buildings.
The results are presented in the research paper “ (Not) in my city: An explorative study on social acceptance of photovoltaic installations on buildings”, published in the December issue of Technology in Society .
In the first survey, participants evaluated six different prototypes of crystalline silicon photovoltaic molecules, with different colours and surface structures, in different buildings. The result was that different module designs were preferred depending on the building.
“The modules were mainly matched to the buildings due to colour integration and were rarely selected to make an artistic addition to the building,” the research paper states. “It follows from these results that in the case of existing buildings, PV modules should be integrated as discreetly as possible, fitting into the established aesthetic concept of the building, in order to be socially accepted.”
The second study, in which participants indicated their acceptance of a solar installation on 24 buildings via an online survey, found that acceptance of integrated PV in urban areas is generally very high, but increases even further when the module is aesthetically integrated or invisible.
The results also revealed that in most cases, solar modules on historic buildings, including churches, are less accepted than on modern buildings. However, when solar modules were invisible, there were no differences in acceptance between the different types of buildings.
The researchers conclude that for existing buildings, it makes more sense to select coloured solar modules that blend seamlessly into the appearance of the building than to use the module as an architectural detail. They add that it is important to offer a wide range of aesthetically different modules to match the different existing buildings.
"The overall conclusions of the studies underline the importance of focusing research and development efforts in photovoltaic technology not only on improving the technical aspects of a photovoltaic module, but also its optical properties," the research paper concludes.
“An important conclusion of the study is that social acceptance of photovoltaic systems depends on the type of building and the visual impression,” adds Angela Zhou, lead author of the study. “These two factors weigh much more than personal variables such as personal values, political attitudes or environmental concerns.” |
