New Energy Exploitation and Application

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Proposing an Approach for the Diffusion of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPVs)—A Case Study

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https://doi.org/10.54963/neea.v3i1.196
Amo Awuku, S., Bennadji , A., Muhammad-Sukki, F., Prabhu, R., & Sellami, N. (2024). Proposing an Approach for the Diffusion of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPVs)—A Case Study. New Energy Exploitation and Application, 3(1), 8–26. https://doi.org/10.54963/neea.v3i1.196
Volume 3 Issue 1: June 2024
Copyright (c) 2024 Samuel Amo Awuku, Amar Bennadji, Firdaus Muhammad-Sukki, Radhakrishna Prabhu, Nazmi Sellami
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Authors

  • Samuel Amo Awuku
    School of Engineering, Robert Gordon University, Garthdee House, Aberdeen AB10 7AQ, UK https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8361-1741
  • Amar Bennadji Van OlstBorg, Hanz University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, Zernikeplein 9747, The Netherlands https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9359-4500
  • Firdaus Muhammad-Sukki School of Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment, Merchiston Campus, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh EH10 5DT, UK; Solar Research Institute (SRI), School of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Shah Alam 40450, Malaysia
  • Radhakrishna Prabhu School of Engineering, Robert Gordon University, Garthdee House, Aberdeen AB10 7AQ, UK https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0642-8342
  • Nazmi Sellami School of Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment, Merchiston Campus, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh EH10 5DT, UK https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2623-1934

Consistent probing into building integrity has led to the exploration of clean energy options such as building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV). BIPV has proven to be aesthetically pleasing, architecturally feasible, and capable of making buildings energy producers instead of mere energy consumers. Despite the enormous benefits of BIPV, its adoption and diffusion have been relatively sluggish and remain far below expectations, especially in developing countries like Ghana. This empirical study aims to assess the impact of advertising on BIPV awareness in Ghana. It also highlights the aesthetic preferences of various respondents. The study uses online surveys to gather quantitative data from 412 respondents across all 16 regions of the country. An initial study conducted on the awareness of BIPV in Ghana indicated a low rate of awareness. Therefore, a sensitisation poster and architectural visualization (AV) were adopted to boost awareness across all 16 regions of the country. Awareness of BIPV increased from 18% to 79.5% after the introduction of the sensitisation poster. Also, 88.8% of the respondents preferred BIPV to Building Applied Photovoltaic (BAPV) mainly because of aesthetics (beauty) and the cost benefits. The respondents indicated that aesthetics is paramount when choosing solar panels for their homes. This study therefore recommends high investment in awareness creation, development of specific design guidelines for BIPV applications and establishment of demo projects in developing countries. The findings of this study contribute to the existing literature on BIPV adoption and may be useful for BIPV manufacturers, marketers, government, and other stakeholders as it provides evidence on the often-neglected approach to BIPV diffusion.

Keywords:

building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) awareness aesthetics advertising diffusion adoption

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