Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) market is about to break through the hundred-billion-dollar mark: the global wave of net-zero buildings reshapes the engineering industry.

Introduction

The global construction industry is undergoing a structural transformation deeply tied to the energy transition. Building-integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) embeds solar power generation directly into building envelopes such as roofs, curtain walls, and windows, satisfying architectural aesthetics while enabling distributed generation. According to the latest "Building-integrated Photovoltaics Market Report" (2026-2035) released by Research Nester, the global BIPV market size will grow from USD 24.2 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate of 15.6%, reaching USD 103.1 billion by 2035.

Market Background and Project Scale

BIPV is not a new concept, but what has truly driven its large-scale deployment is the increasingly stringent net-zero energy building regulations worldwide. Major economies such as the European Union, China, and Japan have brought the whole-life carbon emissions of buildings under regulation, prompting building owners, developers, and engineering contractors to reassess BIPV technology. Research Nester data show that the global BIPV market was valued at approximately USD 24.2 billion in 2025, is expected to reach USD 27.9 billion in 2026, and will surpass the USD 100 billion mark by 2035.

By regional distribution, Europe is currently the largest BIPV market and is expected to account for 41.4% of the global share by 2035. Europe's leading position benefits from its mature policy framework, ambitious carbon reduction targets, and strict building energy efficiency directives. Germany and France are typical leading countries. Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific region is becoming the fastest-growing segment, driven by the rapid expansion of megacity clusters and the scarcity of high-density urban land resources. Large-scale urban renewal and smart city projects in countries such as China, Japan, and India are providing numerous application scenarios for BIPV.

Key Technology Progress

In terms of technology routes, crystalline silicon remains the dominant technology in the BIPV market, expected to hold a 67.6% market share by 2035. The high conversion efficiency and mature supply chain of crystalline silicon modules allow them to strike a balance between cost and performance. In recent years, iterations of high-efficiency cell structures such as PERC and TOPCon have further improved the power density of crystalline silicon modules, making them more suitable for integration into building surfaces. In addition, thin-film technology and emerging perovskite photovoltaics are also entering the BIPV field. For example, Panasonic Holdings launched the world's first long-term demonstration project of building-integrated perovskite photovoltaic glass in August 2023 at the Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town in Japan, testing the durability and efficiency of a transparent gradient design on the balcony of a model home. Such demonstration projects herald the commercialization direction of next-generation BIPV technology.From the application side, rooftop-integrated photovoltaics remains the market segment with the greatest contribution. Rooftops have the best sunlight conditions, do not occupy additional building space, and are relatively easy to install. In residential and commercial buildings, rooftop-integrated BIPV is becoming a standard configuration for net-zero energy buildings. At the same time, the potential of facade photovoltaics is being reassessed. A global study published by Cornell University in December 2024, combining 3D building footprint models with spatiotemporal meteorological data, analyzed 120 cities worldwide and found that the average power generation potential of facade photovoltaics is approximately 68.2% of rooftop photovoltaics, with 17.5% of cities having facade potential even exceeding that of rooftops. This finding will encourage architects and engineers to give more consideration to photovoltaic facade solutions in high-rise building design.

Industry Impact and Regional Dynamics

The expansion of the BIPV market is creating ripple effects across the entire construction engineering industry chain. Traditional building material suppliers, glass manufacturers, curtain wall engineering companies, and photovoltaic module companies are beginning to converge across sectors. AGC, Onyx Solar, Nippon Sheet Glass (Pilkington), Ertex Solartechnik, Mitrex and other companies have become core suppliers of BIPV modules and specialized systems. Meanwhile, traditional photovoltaic manufacturers such as First Solar, Hanwha Q CELLS, Trina Solar, LONGi Green Energy, and JinkoSolar are also intensifying their development of BIPV products.

Urbanization is the core driver of BIPV demand. According to data from Our World in Data in March 2025, more than 4 billion people worldwide live in cities, with the urbanization rate approaching 50%. The urbanization rate in high-income countries exceeds 80%, while low-income regions remain predominantly rural. As urban populations continue to grow, rooftop and facade spaces are becoming important carriers of distributed photovoltaics. At the same time, global electricity demand is rising. According to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), global electricity demand grew by 2.2% in 2023, with India growing by 7% and China by 6.4%; global electricity demand is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 3.4% from 2024 to 2026. Electricity consumption by data centers is expected to double from 460 TWh in 2022 to more than 1,000 TWh by 2026. This trend is making on-site renewable energy increasingly urgent for commercial, industrial, and public facilities. As a power generation technology that does not occupy land and is located close to electricity loads, BIPV is becoming an important component of urban energy infrastructure.

Challenges and Risks# Challenges and Risks

Despite its promising prospects, the large-scale adoption of BIPV still faces multiple challenges. The first is the financial barrier. BIPV components require customized design, specialized installation processes, and longer project approval cycles, resulting in upfront costs far higher than those of traditional rooftop photovoltaics. For developers, the uncertainty of the investment payback period remains a primary concern. The second is the supply chain issue. The specialized photovoltaic glass, thin-film modules, and custom lamination materials required for BIPV have not yet formed a scaled supply chain like that of standard photovoltaic modules, leading to long procurement lead times and high costs. Moreover, the industry lacks a unified standardization system, and products are highly dependent on specific suppliers, further exacerbating supply chain fragility. These problems require the engineering industry and policymakers to jointly promote standardization and the maturation of the industrial chain.

Future Outlook

Looking ahead, the BIPV market will enter a phase of rapid expansion. Europe's Net-Zero Building Directive, China's building-integrated photovoltaic policies, the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, and urbanization in emerging Southeast Asian markets will all provide sustained demand momentum for BIPV. From a technological perspective, the maturation of new photovoltaic materials such as perovskite will drive down the costs of transparent photovoltaic glass and colored photovoltaic curtain walls, further enhancing the acceptance of architectural aesthetics. From an engineering perspective, BIM technology and digital twins are enabling greater synergy between BIPV systems and building MEP integrated design, while prefabricated and modular construction methods will also reduce installation difficulty and construction time.

Conclusion

The rise of building-integrated photovoltaics is not an isolated niche market event, but the combined result of global infrastructure investment, urbanization, and green building development. As the global emphasis on sustainable buildings shifts from a "nice-to-have" to a "must-have", BIPV will profoundly reshape energy system design in building engineering over the next decade. For engineering and construction enterprises, mastering BIPV integration capabilities will become a critical competitive strength for participating in urban renewal and large-scale infrastructure projects. It is foreseeable that, driven by net-zero carbon goals, buildings will no longer be merely energy consumers but will become distributed power generation nodes in urban energy networks. This transformation will reshape the collaboration among the construction industry, the power sector, and the materials industry, bringing new growth opportunities to the global engineering industry.