1st edition: 28th November 2024, Florence (Italy)
Integrating PV technologies in the Built Environment
Meet the experts and the innovations
The conference will be a unique chance to exchange and distribute knowledge for everything concerning the integration of PV. Emphasis will be on demonstrating integrated approaches of the many solutions in technology, engineering, design, and finance.
FORMAT
One-day open conference with oral and poster presentations, accompanied by workshops that foster the exchange and cooperation of distinct expertise. Presenters will be selected via a Call for Projects (see below), and on invitation. Invited presentations will be key-notes addressing the one or more conference topics.
CONFERENCE CONCEPT
Background
To meet the goals of the Paris Agreement 2020, confirmed at the COP 26 in
Glasgow in 2021, the major industrial countries and regions of the world design and establish new policies aiming to de-carbonize the Energy sector. Common to all these policies is the fix of a date
around the middle of this century (2045…2060), where energy is consumed causing zero (or very close to zero) Greenhouse-Gas (GHG) emissions. These target dates reflect a compromise between what is considered to be economically viable and a trajectory of reducing GHG emissions meeting a maximum amount of emission-budget (around 80…100 GtCO2eq) allowed according to the commitment to “…close to 1.5-degree global warming by 2100”.
There is in general agreement across most industrial countries that burning of fossil energy carriers must come to an end (“do not oxidize Carbon anymore!”), and that coal consumption is the first to be phased out, with oil and gas following.
Rationale
Renewable energy is the choice for the phase-out of fossil energy sources, and almost all current technologies are cost-competitive with conventional sources. However, all renewable sources of Solar, Wind, Hydro and Biomass require considerably more land area than any of the combustion of nuclear-based forms of energy. Successfully transiting towards a zero-carbon energy production by the middle of the century requires therefore an entirely new debate and solutions of how and in which way societies are using the available land area. In densely populated areas like in Europe, double use of existing land and its structure is an absolute necessity, in particular as “unused” areas suitable for large area solar or wind installations are diminishing or
used for agricultural purposes.
Regarding Solar Photovoltaics, a renewed focus will inevitably fall on integrating the technology elements (PV modules) in the human environment and current energy systems, rather than further improving device physics and materials technologies.
Integration of PV systems in most cases means double-use of the anthropogenic environment without spoiling its basic functions, notably in the built environment (“Building integrated PV”), the agricultural land (“Agri-Photovoltaics”) and other installations (Infrastructure and vehicles)
Each of such integration tasks requires a multitude of knowledge and skills far beyond the pure
technology solutions as they are readily available and cost-effective.
Mission of the Integration of Photovoltaics Conference: To widely distribute the knowledge that integration of Photovoltaics is now in reach, highly innovative and economically feasible.
Integration of PV into Buildings, Infrastructure or generally into the visible environment requires multi-disciplinary skills and transversal knowledge.
conference topics
- Technical innovation with custom-made PV-modules
- Engineering of Module integration, structural design
- Building Specific Solutions, solar architecture, integrated building energy systems
- Integration into the urban environment and landscapes (Agri-photovoltaic)
- Resources and Modelling, Digitalisation, GIS and Visualisation
- Regulations, policies, codes, and land use policies
- Resource efficiency and circular economy
CALL FOR PROJECTS
Submit your contribution and become one of the speakers at the Conference!
How?
Submit an abstract (max 500 words) describing a project/realization of integrated photovoltaics, where you have been involved.
This should be an already existent realization/work/product or currently being developed. You are free to include pictures and tables in the abstract.
The project/realization in question should fall under one (or more) of the conference topics.
Deadline
30th of September 2024, send the abstracts in PDF format to
Contributors will receive feedback on your submission, and the notification of your eventual selection for an oral or poster presentation.
Participation is free of charge.
Registration and Agenda
The conference is free of charge
The conference agenda will be announced by the end of September 2024. Before that moment, we will announce the participation of the Key Note speakers and the Topical sessions.
If you are interested in becoming a presenter, answer the Call for projects.
If you are interested just in attending, fill in the form, and you will receive more information
Venue
The first edition of the Integrated Photovoltaic Conference is held in the Santa Apollonia Auditorium, located in the historical city center of Florence, at walking distances from the Santa Maria Novella railway station and the well-known historical buildings and masterpieces of the city.
The historical complex of Santa Apollonia is a former monastery founded in the 14th century now transformed into a fascinating conference venue that offers exhibition and networking spaces and has a capacity of up to 250 people.
Here you can find more information on the Florence public transportation.
LOCATION: Via S. Gallo, 25, 50129 Florence
