Energy Efficient Buildings | Solar Photovoltaic Energy in Buildings
In Canada, Photovoltaic (PV) technology has become a favoured form of renewable energy technology due to a number of social and economic factors, including the need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, deregulation, and the restructuring of electric power sector.
The rapid growth in the deployment of solar energy in recent years indicates that the photovoltaic technology is quickly gaining ground in Canada. CanmetENERGY promotes and facilitates the use of photovoltaic systems in buildings, by carrying out research and demonstration projects, serving on international standards committees and developing information and training tools. Projects include:
- R&D towards net zero energy solar buildings (PDF, 315 KB | HTML Version)
- Assessing the technical potential of Building integrated PV systems in Canada
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Participating in the Canadian Solar Buildings Research Network
- Establishing standards and codes for the certification and installation of PV systems and their components
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Participation at a professional development course of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada - Course: SDCB 302 - Building Integrated Photovoltaics
- Identifying opportunities for the development of novel PV technology for building integration; for more information, see the report entitled Photovoltaics for buildings: Opportunities for Canada
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Representing Canada in the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme ; see the Canadian PV Annual Report
- Disseminating information to the Canadian PV industry (see our list of publications and success stories)
CanmetENERGY also actively contributes its expertise to innovative partnerships with the main players in the field. Most research projects are carried out on a cost-sharing basis with industry, universities, research groups, quasi-public agencies and other departments or governments.
CanmetENERGY is responsible for the scientific aspects of work on photovoltaic energy for Natural Resources Canada. For general information on solar energy technologies and applications, as well as on how solar panels work, consult the RETScreen International Website .