Demonstrating manufacturing for innovative BIPV roof components

Introduction

The objective of the Helexio® line project is to develop the first full-scale plant to manufacture a ‘ready to plug-in’ Building Integrated-Photovoltaic (BIPV) roofing steel envelope for the European non-residential buildings market. This unique technology, combining in one component steel roof and photovoltaic (PV) solutions, brings lightweight, flexible, and easy-to-implement solutions adaptable to all types of roofs. This addresses key market barriers in this sector while being economically viable. These innovative components, once implemented in buildings, will replace significant grid electricity with solar electricity, leading to a substantial reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Market Potential

Non-residential building roofs constitute a huge potential in Europe for the development of PV capacities, especially in the renovation market. This market is currently poorly addressed due to several barriers:

1. Existing solutions are too heavy and generate high constraints in the structure.
2. They are not adapted to retrofit solutions.
3. They require the involvement of multiple players, making implementation long and more complicated.
4. Existing solutions also involve a high percentage of non-recyclable components.

The project aims to address these barriers and demonstrate high innovation in three aspects:

1. Development of a new BIPV product: The new BIPV product will be the first of its kind to be deployed in the non-residential buildings market. The product, thanks to the innovative integration of the photovoltaic function directly onto the roof, results in improved energy performance, reduced weight, greater ease of installation, and a lower carbon footprint.

2. Manufacturing process: The designed manufacturing process, based on the integration of silicon solar cells over steel substrates, will enable the production of longer length modules (up to 12m long), representing significant advancements beyond the state-of-the-art.

3. Business model: The business model will be innovative based on the nature of the product, bringing a roof and a solar system at the same time. The product will be distributed based on two approaches to simplify the value chain:

   • Through established solar project developers active in roofing applications.
   • Through subcontracting/partnering with value chain players to develop renovation solar roof projects.

Benefits of Helexio® Panel Modules

The Helexio® panel modules present multiple benefits compared to existing PV solutions:

• They include a ‘plug and play’ feature that eases the installation of the overlapping modules.
• They are lightweight, meaning that no structural reinforcement is required for roof renovation.
• They meet high safety and insulation standards (for example, resistance in case of fire).
• They offer flexibility in length (12 metres, representing 60% of the conventional roof length on the market for non-residential buildings).

The modules will also be cost-competitive compared to conventional technology and will lead to significant GHG emissions reduction from conventional electricity generation. The renewable electricity produced based on BIPV modules manufactured from the project, once deployed on buildings, will help avoid around 170,000 tCO2 net absolute GHG emissions during the first ten years of operation.

Project Background

This project builds on a smaller-scale project that was financed by the LIFE+ programme between 2012 and 2017 – the LIFE PHOSTER project, which allowed ArcelorMittal Construction to run and demonstrate a pilot line to produce BIPV components.

Future Plans

By focusing on two market segments (agricultural and industrial building renovation) and four countries (the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and France), ArcelorMittal Construction is planning to secure volume ramp-up in the short to medium term (220,000 m² at the end of the project). The site capacity can also be significantly increased.