Trina Solar is proud to announce the construction of a multi-purpose community space incorporating Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) in the walls and part of the roof. Shogo Sugiura House, located in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, utilizes 42 sheets of Trina Solar DUOMAX modules and 11.56 kW.

Mr. Denso Sugiura, a representative of Arts & Crafts Architectural Design Associates, Inc, and an award-winning architect, designed the building to integrate the concepts "renewable" and "reuse" into the space. In addition, due to the close proximity of houses on the north and south, the building couldn’t have big windows if they wanted to maintain privacy from the neighbors. This also hindered the amount of sunlight that would reach inside the building.

To achieve the goals of transmitting light into the building, guarding privacy and generating power, Mr. Sugiura chose Trina Solar DUOMAX. These double-sided glass modules provide reliable and durable power generation capacity for 30 years and create more aesthetic designs by allowing sunlight to pass through the transparent slits of the modules.

The BIPV generates enough power to cover the facility's lighting, air-conditioning and electric tools, while there's a plan to take advantage of a local net metering program to sell excess energy.

Due to the modules' high durability, the construction team treated them as if they were regular windowpanes, which afforded the workers extra flexibility.

The modules placed in the walls and rooftop let in just the right amount of sunlight, with the ceiling panels serving as skylights. They also allow for sights of the facility's garden and the greenery of the university to the west, while also maintaining privacy from neighbors adjacent on the south and north sides.

Mr. Sugiura, who focuses on designing residential buildings in cramped urban spaces, believes BIPV projects could benefit greatly from the double-glass module. Up until only recently, the general consensus was that BIPV was only suitable for roof or rooftop installations, but the Shogo Sugiura House demonstrates the viability of this solar technology for large-scale development. 

BIPV market to surge

Mr. Sugiura isn't alone in his innovative building designs either. According to the recent 360 MarketUpdates report, the global BIPV markets is set to increase at a 9.78 percent compound annual growth rate between 2017 and 2021.

Key drivers in this sector include:

• The need to reduce energy costs.
• An increase in energy certification requirements.
• The rise in infrastructure spending.
• The growth in solar energy consumption and installations.

The durability and aesthetic design of Trina Solar's DUOMAX dual-glass modules will play a crucial role in the continued construction of buildings using BIPV. When combined with other smart solar solutions, such as TrinaFlex and TrinaSmart, solar PV systems provide greater efficiency in solar PV systems. 

Project managers, developers and homeowners seeking new ways to reduce electricity costs, build aesthetically pleasing structures and meet energy certification standards should look to BIPV solutions.

The U.S. government also provides economic incentives and subsidies to boost BIPV adoption. Allied Market Research noted that the U.S. Department of Energy recently approved $145 million for BIPV programs.

Click here to learn more about Trina Solar's DUOMAX modules and smart solar technology.