Industry analyst firm NanoMarkets has just published a new report titled, “Building Integrated Photovoltaics Markets, 2011” that continues the firm’s coverage of the BIPV space. The firm says that the BIPV products market will surpass $11 billion in revenues in 2016 up from over $2 billion in 2011. BIPV capacity installed will experience a ten-fold increase over the same period growing from 343 MW in 2011 to over 3.6 GW in 2016. The report also notes that the BIPV sector is enjoying new credibility due to the well-publicized and growing involvement of Dow Chemical in this space.

The building products industry continues to face challenges in construction starts and new builds while the solar industry is facing a reduction in the subsidies that have been crucial to the industry’s fortunes. The BIPV market offers both sets of suppliers a way of developing new revenue opportunities. Solar cell companies partnering with building products companies gain access to new markets, while building products companies can address new opportunities in green buildings and lucrative retrofitting of existing homes and commercial locations.

Product-wise, the market is maturing with “2nd-Generation BIPV” offerings designed specifically for easy integration with buildings. BIPV glass will generate over $6.4 billion in revenue in 2016 versus $1.17 billion in 2011, tiles and floating panels that will create nearly $3 billion versus $691 million in 2011, and flexible BIPV products will create slightly over $1.9 billion versus $153 million in 2011.

Crystalline silicon (c-si) will continue to hold a large share of the market for the coming decade, but thin-film photovoltaic (TFPV) manufacturers have reason to be very excited about what BIPV will provide. In particular, several CIGS-based BIPV products have recently passed regulatory code tests and are moving through traditional distribution channels this year. The report states that amorphous silicon (a-si) will surpass a billion dollars in BIPV revenue mark in 2014 with CIGS following in 2015 and cadmium telluride achieving that in 2017. 

For more information, visit www.nanomarkets.net/.