Impact resistance of BIPV systems: New testing procedure for performance assessment of multifunctional products

Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) is progressively achieving an advanced level of technical maturity and considerable market penetration. In the last kilometre for implementation, major challenges are today mostly related to improving cost-effectiveness product reliability. BIPV multifunctional products still framed in complex sometimes unclear qualification processes, grey area between electrotechnical construction sectors, impacting commercialization users' confidence. The EN 50583 part 1 2 standards represent main regulatory framework Europe BIPV. However, acts force certification, electrical most national local contexts not yet harmonized imply wide margins interpretation. product's EU therefore based on modules or, other hand, products. To overcome some these barriers challenges, authors propose a newly developed procedure testing impact resistance products, introducing performance-based approach with goal combining building electrical-related limit states responding need assessment ensure safety use. methodology preliminary findings resulting from application real test cases, taking also into account effect temperature, presented analysed. As result, it envisaged that implementation will help operators prospective normative upgrades, ensuring more outstanding quality BIPV's driving towards drop life cycle costs.