European consortium develops low-cost integrated thin film PV module

PV-GUM project step towards sun power made for roofing

February 8, 2011 - During the next three years, a consortium of nine partners including KEMA will develop new manufacturing technologies and equipment to produce low-cost thin film PV membranes, which are fully integrated in the roofing. The existing potential of suitable roofs for this new Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) product is estimated to 23 million m2. At the end of the project, a 200 kWp roof will be demonstrated in France.

The EU-funded PV-GUM project is led by the Belgium manufacturer DERBIGUM. KEMA is closely involved in the quality procedures for membrane and module manufacture. We are also helping to develop guidelines for product certification. In parallel with that work, we will be implementing a new standardized PECVD reactor and process.

Building integrated PV
The PV-GUM project is born of the desire to provide a fully ‘building-integrated’ PV product that really meets the expectations of the building industry. By the full factory integration of the PV cell into the bitumen membrane, significant reduction of the installation time of the PV roof system can be realized, providing simultaneously a durable waterproofing solution included in the modules itself

Low-cost and robust
The main scope of the PV-GUM project is to fully integrate flexible thin film PV modules in the roofing membrane during manufacturing. To be adopted by the building industry, this new Building Integrated PV product should be low-cost, close to ‘classical’ high performance roofing membranes in terms of size and installation, with proven waterproofing properties, enhanced production of PV electricity, robust, easy-to-install, sustainable and recyclable.To achieve this at low cost, developments are necessary from manufacturing to installation and recycling.

The new flexible PV membrane is pre-eminently suitable for flat roofs. Compared with pitched roofs, flat roofs have the advantage of good accessibility, easy installation, an almost limitless choice of orientation for the PV units and usually part of commercial, industrial or public buildings.

Demonstration
At the end of the three year project, the cost-effective, robust and efficient PV roofing membrane will be demonstrated in a 200 kWp PV-GUM installation in France. The Belgium roofing bituminous membranes manufacturer DERBIGUM and Swiss thin-film flexible photovoltaic modules manufacturer FLEXCELL intend to directly exploit the resultsby producing 20 MW of the new ‘PV-GUM’ membrane for DERBIGUM and enhanced PV modules for FLEXCELL products. DERBIGUM intends to extend this capacity at 70 MW by three years.