INTRODUCTION

The majority of our energy use occurs in the built environment as typically buildings account for 20-30% of the total primary energy requirements in industrialised countries. Greater environmental awareness of the consequences of non- renewable energy consumption has determined the need for energy conscious building design.

The use of photovoltaics (PV) has been restricted on a commercial scale predominantly due to economic factors. The technological advances and economic viability of the manufacture of the PV and the approaching market readiness of fuel cells will ensure the future is likely to be dominated by building integrated PV - fuel cell systems. The fuel cell is an environmentally benign method of storage to supplement the fluctuation in PV power generation under variable weather conditions.

The inherent attractiveness of PV as a renewable energy technology is due to it being a sustainable energy source, which can be generated at the point of electrical demand. This will be predominantly the energy required for a building and in our particular study a dwelling. Therefore considerable attention is being focused on the integration of PV into building design so it becomes an integral part of the structure. The opportunity to capitalise on displaced non - renewable electricity generation and harvest solar energy from PV potentially exists in any new build or conversion project.

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