TOWARDS NET ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS: POSSIBILITIES FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC USE

Abstract

There is a growing interest in zero net energy buildings (ZNEBs) in recent years. Several countries have adopted or considering establishing ZNEBs as their future building energy targets to help alleviate the problems concerning the depletion of energy resources and the deterioration of the environment. Also according to the recast of the European Directive 2010/31/EU, all new buildings shall be nearly ZNEBs. In the future, design has to consider not only the space we use directly but also the space required to provide for electrical and thermal energies from renewable sources: the surface necessary for placing the energy generation devices. Photovoltaic has many potentialities in a ZNEB scenario, thanks to its features and enormous decrease in green house gas emissions when they operate. The authors of this paper consider possibilities and perspectives for the use of PV in ZNEBs from different aspects.