A review of colored building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) for building decarbonization: Technological and market perspectives

Colored building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) offers advantages in both aesthetic appeal and renewable energy utilization. It promotes the application of BIPV across various buildings and settings, making it a promising technology for building decarbonization. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the evolutionary process, current status, and future perspectives of colored BIPV, focusing on both its technologies and markets. Colored BIPV technologies are categorized into those with material-inherent colors and those with structural colors, based on their respective photovoltaic coloration methods. The technical feasibility and performance of these different colored BIPV technologies are assessed. Generally, structural colors have a much longer lifespan, while material-inherent colors can reduce production costs. Limited by policy adjustments, the expected profit of BIPV has decreased, driving the commercialization of low-cost coloration methods such as colored glass and encapsulants, printing coatings, and interference layers. Additionally, the policies and market sizes of leading solar energy countries are discussed to summarize the major obstacles and future prospects for BIPV development. This comprehensive analysis aims to bridge the gap between researchers, government, and market stakeholders, contributing to the advancement of colored BIPV technology.