The objective of this report is to pinpoint the opportunities that are likely to emerge in the BIPV roofing market in the next few years and show how these may be best developed given the changing market circumstances described above.  The potential for technological improvement, which is also described above, is also taken into consideration in this opportunity analysis. Another goal of this report is to examine current and future strategies in the emerging BIPV roofing market.  Because of the radically altered strategic situation for BIPV roofing that has emerged in the past few years, we think that entirely new strategies will be required for firms in this space.  Thus, we have made the required strategic changes for the future BIPV roofing sector a key theme of this report.

Definitions of BIPV Roofing

The scope of this report is a fairly broad, we have included all products that might make a reasonable claim to being integrated.  This includes simple laminates all the way up to fully- integrated products of the kind we mention above.  Definitions are important here.  In some articles and reports about the BIPV sector, it is assumed (sometimes tacitly) that the “I” in BIPV stands for “fully integrated.” 

Under this definition, any BIPV market is made to seem very futuristic, which we think is unfortunate since it leaves out of the equation the considerable amount of effort that has gone into developing the BIPV concept for well over a decade.  Indeed, this is especially true of the BIPV roofing segment that has existed (albeit in a primitive form) for almost two decades.

The broad approach that we take in this report acknowledges that there is already a substantial market around the world that is willing to buy into solar panels that are disguised in roofing in some way.  This is important as it illustrates that whole idea of BIPV roofing is not just another technological flash in the pan.  We have taken account of the widely varying functionality of early BIPV roofing and future fully-integrated BIPV roofing by providing separate discussions and forecasts of different segments of the BIPV roofing market.

Forecasts and Strategies

Our forecasts in this report are provided in both value and volume terms.  Volume shipments are forecasted in terms of area covered and MW shipped.  This reflects the hybrid nature of the BIPV roofing.  It is at once a roofing product (where area covered is the relevant measure) and a solar product (where MW is the relevant measure).  Breakouts in the forecasts are provided by type of building, type of BIPV roofing and key materials used.  In addition, we project the nations and regions that will generate the most revenues for BIPV roofing and the breakouts of the BIPV roofing market by retrofit and new construction. 

In addition, as is usual with NanoMarkets reports of this type, we have included assessments of the strategies now being deployed by BIPV roofing firms. In this analysis, we are particularly concerned with understanding how BIPV roofing firms plan to cope with the current “crisis” in the PV industry.