Acceptance of building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) in Heritage Buildings and Towns: potential, barriers and assessment criteria

The paper refers to the application of Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) systems for the renovation of heritage buildings and urban landscapes, preserving their historic, material, aesthetic and natural values as well as lowering energy bills, increasing comfort, and improving their technical quality in terms of economic and environmental sustainability. Several criteria for the compatible use of BIPV systems in heritage context are proposed, also taking into account the perspective of architectural preservation, legislative framework, research projects, and the scientific literature. The research is structured in the following steps: (i) examination of existing criteria for acceptable use of BIPV on heritage sites; (ii) examination of the theory of architectural preservation and restoration; (iii) identification of a set of criteria for compatible insertion of BIPV; and (iv) assessment of these criteria on case studies. The study shows new opportunities of inserting new and emerging solar products in these contexts, especially thanks to the advanced customization possibilities to preserve their values by resembling other known building materials