Photovoltaic (PV) technology is an ideal solution for the electrical supply issues that trouble the current climate-change, carbon-intensive world of power generation. For building installations, PV systems fall into two categories, building applied photovoltaics (BAPV) and building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).
Commercially available since the 1970s, photovoltaic (PV) technology converts energy from solar radiation directly into electricity using semiconductor materials. This overview is intended to provide specific details for Federal agencies considering photovoltaic technologies as part of a new construction project or major renovation.