Advancing urban solar integration: Performance and policy analysis of BIPV systems in India

: Sustainable urban energy generation is an attractive goal with a growing solution: building integrated photovoltaic system. By combining the functions of a building envelope with those of a photovoltaic system in a single construction, building integrated photovoltaic systems simultaneously serve as a building component and an energy generation system. India has a high potential for building integrated photovoltaic applications in massive scales due to the extensive urbanization and ambitious targets set by the Indian government for renewable energy. This analysis offers a thorough evaluation of building integrated photovoltaic performance, architectural integration, and policy aspects in India through a systematic review approach, drawing on the PRISMA framework. The studies and projects related to the scope of the research were found by searching through databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, IEEE Xplore, Google Scholar, and technical reports through predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The novelty of this study is that it has an analytical framework is India-specific, and merges the aspects of architectural design, technical performance, operational challenges, policy analysis, and comparative evaluation of real-world case studies of building integrated photovoltaic systems. The study clearly differentiates building integrated photovoltaic systems from building applied photovoltaic systems to avoid conceptual ambiguity, unlike previous studies. The case studies analyzed in this study showed that annual energy production of over 89,000 kWh/year and average annual energy yields of nearly 1460 kWh/kWp could be achieved. Semitransparent glazing solutions, bifacial modules, roof mounted photovoltaic tiles and façade mounted solutions were proposed as the solutions for urban application. The study also addresses some challenges such as partial shading, thermal degradation, complexity, maintenance requirements, and lack of policies for building integrated photovoltaic in India.