SIDE EVENT AT GRIHA SUMMIT: Innovative Strategies for Sustainable Construction: Scaling Up Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Applications in India
As part of the 16th GRIHA Summit, TERI and the GRIHA Council hosted a side event titled "Innovative Strategies for Sustainable Construction: Scaling Up Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Applications in India." The event, organised under GIZ India’s dPP project in partnership with Ornate Solar, convened critical stakeholders, including government representatives, architects, and developers, to deliberate on barriers, concerns, and opportunities for scaling BIPV technology in India.
Keynote Highlights
Dr. Mohammad Rihan, Director General of NISE, delivered the keynote address, emphasising the importance of initiating conversations about BIPV to drive its adoption. He stated, "BIPV needs a push in terms of making it a point of discussion. That is the first step in pushing any new thing into society or market. Solar energy has a central role when you talk about fighting the climate change challenge and shifting towards sustainable development."
Ms. Varsha Punhani, Head of HSMI, HUDCO, highlighted the dual challenge and opportunity presented by India’s rapid infrastructure development, noting, "The construction and building sector accounts for nearly one-sixth of the nation's total greenhouse gas emissions. 70% of India's infrastructure is yet to be built. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity—a chance to rethink, redesign, and rebuild sustainably."
Special Remarks
Ms. Archana Khanna, Founding Partner of First Principle and Convenor of the Sustainability Committee at IIA Northern Chapter, provided critical insights on accelerating BIPV adoption: “Mass penetration of BIPV must focus on affordable housing, public infrastructure, and inner-city developments…BIPV's performance must account for shading, ventilation needs, and thermal impacts, especially in dense urban environments. Architects need accessible tools and cost calculators to compare BIPV with traditional building materials. Upskilling construction labour is essential to handle the specialised installation of BIPV systems.”
Mr. Abhinav Jain, Senior Energy Advisor at GIZ India, highlighted a significant roadblock to BIPV adoption: the lack of data for stakeholders. He remarked, "The major challenges for BIPV in India are the lack of data for industries, regulators, and architects. GIZ’s DPV project brings together public and private support to tackle these challenges, leveraging private expertise and government facilitation."
Technical Session
The event also featured international technical presentations to broaden the audience’s understanding of global BIPV advancements by Dr. Dieter Moor, CEO and Founder, Arconsol, Mr. Dirk Braunlich, Director of Sales and Business Development Asia, Von Ardenne, Mr. Gazmend Luzi, CEO, Sunage, and Dr. Pierluigi Bonomo, Senior Researcher, SUPSI, Switzerland
Panel Discussion
A panel discussion moderated by Daniel Lipschits, Strategy and Development Director at Sun Appeal India and Esylys LLP, provided a deep dive into challenges and solutions for BIPV uptake. The panel featured insights from Mr. Gautam Dey, President of Project Commissioning, Asset Management, Clubs, Interior Fitout, and Event Management, M3M India Pvt. Ltd.; Hans-Peter Merklein, Entrepreneur, Unltd Solar; Mr. Zohaib Siddique, Senior General Manager, Architecture and Design, Whiteland Corporation, Mr. Amit Sharma, Principal Architect, Axiom India; Mr. Anurag Bajpai, Director, GreenTree Global; Mr. CK Verma, Former Special Director General, CPWD, Government of India; and Mr. Akash Deep, Deputy General Manager and Treasurer, GRIHA Council
Conclusion
Mr. Girish Sethi, Senior Fellow and Senior Director, Energy Program, TERI, commended the collaborative effort, stating, "This collaboration on building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) is an exciting and important area that addresses critical challenges in energy and sustainability."
Mr. Sanjay Seth, Vice President and CEO, the GRIHA council and Senior Director, Sustainable Habitat Division, TERI, provided the closing remarks to the incredibly enriching session, emphasising viewing challenges as opportunities, with a call to establish BIPV as a new norm in the industry.
