Solar tiles & facades

Building-integrated photovoltaics replace a construction element, tile, slate, cladding or façade glazing, with an element that also produces electricity. It therefore plays two roles at once: it must protect the building as the material it replaces would, and produce as a conventional module would. Its natural uses are new builds and major renovations, buildings subject to architectural or heritage constraints, and façades where the available surface is vertical.

Selection starts with format and integration: which roofing or façade element is replaced, with what fixing and waterproofing system, and what ventilation behind the modules, since a module that heats up produces less. Then come the product warranty and the performance warranty, which are two distinct commitments, compatibility with the chosen inverter, and the long-term availability of identical replacement elements to keep the roof uniform.

A BIPV product is both a construction product and electrical equipment. As a construction product, it falls under the Construction Products Regulation, Regulation 305/2011 being progressively replaced by Regulation 2024/3110: reaction to fire, watertightness, mechanical resistance and durability are assessed as for any roofing or façade element, with a declaration of performance. As electrical equipment, it falls under the Low Voltage Directive and the qualification and safety standards for photovoltaic modules.

Local planning rules also apply, especially in protected areas, as do the grid connection rules of the country of installation. Installation involves two trades, the roofer or façade contractor and the electrician, and the manufacturer's warranty assumes both followed its instructions. We check that the certificates supplied cover the product as sold, construction element and module, and not just one of the two.

The most common mistake is to compare the price per square metre of an integrated product with that of a standard module mounted on top of the roof: the first replaces a roofing material, the second is added to it. The relevant comparison includes the material saved, installation and service life. A second mistake is to accept a file that only certifies the photovoltaic module, when it is the whole tile or façade assembly, with its fixing and waterproofing, that will face the weather.

Finally, do not underestimate replacement parts: a roof element broken in ten years will need to be replaced by one compatible in size and appearance. We require a written commitment from the factory on this point, and we check the consistency between the manufacturer named on the certificates and the factory that actually produces.