Building Integrated Photovoltaics 4.0: Digitization of the Photovoltaic Integration in Buildings for a Resilient Infra at Large Scale

Abstract

Building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems have gained a lot of attention in recent years as they support the United Nations’ sustainable development goals of renewable energy generation and construction of resilient infrastructure. To make the BIPV system infra resilient, there is a need to adopt digital technologies such as the internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), edge computing, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and robotics. In this study, the current challenges in the BIPV system, such as the rise in the temperature of the PV modules, the occurrence of various faults, and the accumulation of dust particles over the module surface, have been identified and discussed based on the previous literature. To overcome the challenges, the significance and application of the integration of these digital technologies in the BIPV system are discussed along with the proposed architecture. Finally, the study discusses the vital recommendations for future directions, such as ML and DL for image enhancement and flaws detection in real-time image data; edge computing to implement DL for intelligent BIPV data analytics; fog computing for 6G assisted IoT network in BIPV; edge computing integration in UAV for intelligent automation and detection; augmented reality, virtual reality, and digital twins for virtual BIPV systems with research challenges of real-time implementation in the BIPV.

IoT Control and Visualization System with Digital Twins and Augmented Reality in a Digital Transformation Space

“…These efforts aim to develop technological solutions and strategies to tackle the challenges unique to each particular context [9]. Research indicates that there is a need to adopt advanced technologies [10] [11], but the lack of adaptation generates a technological lag and the need for a digital transformation. Although specific problems may vary, the need to bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds through the implementation of cyber-physical systems, DT, and Industry 4.0 technologies is a common theme [3] [12].…”

A Holistic Approach for Design and Assessment of Building-Integrated Photovoltaics Systems

“…The user must provide information such as geometry, surrounding structures, weather, and energy demand, among others. Digital technologies can be applied to BIPV systems, as is the case in the research presented in [18], where the use of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and robotics for BIPV performance improvement is studied; some issues related to the operation of BIPV systems, such as the increase in the temperature of the PV panels, the dust on the surface of the panels, and different types of faults are discussed. Works presented in [1,2,19] discussed study cases located in Asia which cover different aspects such as barriers, policies, opportunities, and challenges, while study cases of [20][21][22] addressed the performance of building integrated PV/thermal (BIPVT) systems which is also an interesting option to exploit the structure of buildings.…”