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Integration of Active Solar Technologies in the Historic Built Environment...
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Integration of Active Solar Technologies in the Historic Built Environment and Landscapes

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Energy, Physics, Environment, and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 January 2025) | Viewed by 7646

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Daniel Herrera-Avellanosa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy
Interests: historic buildings; energy retrofit; hygrothermal performance; nZEB
Dr. Alexandra Troi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy
Interests: historic buildings; energy retrofit; hygrothermal performance; nZEB
Dr. Laura Maturi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy
Interests: integrated PV systems; building energy efficiency; energy retrofit

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We cordially invite you to submit your research results and insights to our Special Issue focusing on  integrated photovoltaics (IPV) systems in the historic built environment and landscape. Areas, urban and rural, of cultural and natural value are often exempted when it comes to the improvement in energy efficiency or the integration of renewable energy sources. This is mostly due to an outdated perception of solutions with lower efficiency and/or high impact on the conservation of the cultural and natural resources.

Nowadays, IPV systems have become increasingly more available thanks to their potential to provide a clean and cost-effective source of renewable energy without affecting the conservation of heritage values. The Interreg ITA-CH research project “BIPV meets History” created new perspectives for the supply chain of integrated photovoltaic technology applied to valuable building heritage and landscape.

This Special Issue will focus on the latest advances in IPV systems, with a particular emphasis on the topics of their design optimization, oriented to mitigation strategies of the visual impact on protected landscapes and heritage buildings. Much attention is also paid to their cost effectiveness and sustainability. We invite both theoretical and experimental studies that explore the potential of IPV in the built heritage and landscape.

We look forward to receiving your contributions and engaging in an inspiring discussion about the advancements in IPV systems.

This Special Issue is part of the project “BIPV meets History” (ID 3846141, ID 603882), operation co-financed by the European Union, European Regional Development Fund, the Italian Government, the Swiss Confederation and Cantons, as part of the Interreg V-A Italy-Switzerland Cooperation Programme.

Sincerely,

Dr. Daniel Herrera-Avellanosa
Dr. Alexandra Troi
Dr. Laura Maturi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • renewable energy
  • building integrated photovoltaics
  • retrofit of buildings
  • protected landscape
  • historic buildings
  • energy efficient buildings

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 15699 KiB  
Article
Building-Integrated Photovoltaics in Existing Buildings: A Novel PV Roofing System
by Claudio Del Pero, Fabrizio Leonforte and Niccolò Aste
Buildings 2024, 14(8), 2270; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14082270 - 23 Jul 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3194
Abstract
Among renewable energy generation technologies, photovoltaics has a pivotal role in reaching the EU’s decarbonization goals. In particular, building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems are attracting increasing interest since they are a fundamental element that allows buildings to abate their CO2 emissions while also [...] Read more.
Among renewable energy generation technologies, photovoltaics has a pivotal role in reaching the EU’s decarbonization goals. In particular, building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems are attracting increasing interest since they are a fundamental element that allows buildings to abate their CO2 emissions while also performing functions typical of traditional building components, such as sealing against water. In such a context, since one of the main challenges to decarbonizing the building sector lies in the retrofitting of existing buildings, the current paper is focused on the design, development, and testing of a novel roofing BIPV system. The entire research was carried out as part of the Horizon 2020 HEART project. In more detail, the research analyzed the requirements of typical pitched tile roofs, which are currently the most common type in Europe, and developed a universal photovoltaic tile that can be easily and quickly integrated into such a type of roof. The research was also aimed at minimizing the embodied energy of the component and promoting disassembly and recycling at the end of life, fully in line with a circular economy perspective. The adopted design and development processes are described in detail in the present paper, along with the results of several tests performed in the field. In addition, further development prospects of the component, aimed at meeting the integration requirements in historic buildings, are finally presented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integration of Active Solar Technologies in the Historic Built Environment and Landscapes)
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19 pages, 3483 KiB  
Article
An Energy Self-Sufficient Alpine Hut: The Refurbishment of an Ex-Tobacco Farm Using Building Integrated Photovoltaics
by Dario Bottino-Leone, Dagmar Elisabet Exner, Jennifer Adami, Alexandra Troi and Jessica Balest
Buildings 2024, 14(2), 518; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14020518 - 14 Feb 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1706
Abstract
The abandonment and deterioration of historic rural buildings in Europe raise significant issues, including hydrogeological risks, the loss of productive land, and cultural heritage decline. Despite being underestimated, these structures hold significant potential for cultural and productive activities. Renovating these structures is crucial [...] Read more.
The abandonment and deterioration of historic rural buildings in Europe raise significant issues, including hydrogeological risks, the loss of productive land, and cultural heritage decline. Despite being underestimated, these structures hold significant potential for cultural and productive activities. Renovating these structures is crucial for local communities committed to preserving their heritage, and it is a more sustainable approach than constructing new buildings. This study explores activities undertaken in the Interreg IT/AT project “SHELTER” in Valbrenta (IT): through a participatory approach involving communities, stakeholders, designers, and researchers, an energy concept is developed for refurbishing an abandoned tobacco farm, chosen by the community, to be an alpine hut. Due to the inability to connect to the city electricity grid, the new energy concept focuses on minimizing consumption through envelope refurbishment, efficient heating, and domestic hot water systems. Additionally, the integration of renewable energy sources, particularly Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), is emphasized to preserve the building’s original appearance. This study demonstrates the feasibility of meeting seasonal energy needs entirely through renewables and explores the potential integration of biomass for meeting annual energy requirements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integration of Active Solar Technologies in the Historic Built Environment and Landscapes)
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14 pages, 923 KiB  
Article
Application of the Guidelines for the Integration of Photovoltaics in Historic Buildings and Landscapes to Evaluate the Best Practices of the Historic Building Energy Retrofit Atlas
by Alice Rene’ Di Rocco, Dario Bottino-Leone, Alexandra Troi and Daniel Herrera-Avellanosa
Buildings 2024, 14(2), 499; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14020499 - 10 Feb 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1662
Abstract
The challenge of transforming historic buildings and city centers into energy-self-sufficient environments requires innovative solutions. The research project “BiPV meets History” addressed this challenge by providing comprehensive guidelines for assessing the integration of photovoltaic (PV) systems in protected historic architectural contexts. To validate [...] Read more.
The challenge of transforming historic buildings and city centers into energy-self-sufficient environments requires innovative solutions. The research project “BiPV meets History” addressed this challenge by providing comprehensive guidelines for assessing the integration of photovoltaic (PV) systems in protected historic architectural contexts. To validate these guidelines, this study conducts a thorough examination of best practices through the mentioned guidelines, developing an application tool. Recognizing the power of well-communicated best practices in overcoming obstacles to integrated photovoltaic adoption, this tool is used to assess PV integration quality with respect to the best practice contained in the HiBERatlas database. The analysis of 17 successful refurbishment cases highlighted the robustness and reliability of the proposed methodology, considering aesthetic, technical, and energy aspects. This study emphasizes the potential of the guidelines for achieving a harmonious integration of renewable energy solutions with historic architectural heritage and landscape and improving usability through the developed tool. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integration of Active Solar Technologies in the Historic Built Environment and Landscapes)
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