BIPV, compared to traditional roof mounted Si PV aims to integrate in function and form the PV elements into the building structure or envelope. This can often achieve higher levels of performance, integration with other building systems and aesthetics. The following topics on BIPV are of interest:

• Highly integrated BIPV research / technology
• BIPV product advances in engineering and design
• Optics used in BIPV research / technology
• Cutting edge BIPV projects / operations
• Integrated BIPV / energy efficiency technology
• Integrated BIPV / storage technology.
• CPV, compared to non-concentrating photovoltaics, allows the area of the solar cells to be reduced by the concentration ratio, offering a significant reduction in the cost of the photovoltaic system for which the solar cell is one of the most expensive components. The system design of CPV is highly dependent on the concentration ratio. High-concentration systems usually incorporate high-efficiency multijunction solar cells and track the sun, typically on a 2-axis tracker. The use of a tracker usually makes high-concentration CPV primarily compatible with large-scale utility installations. Low-concentration systems, with concentrations less than 10 suns, usually use silicon or thin film technology that do not require trackers and thus are conducive to both roof-top and commercial applications. The following topics on CPV are of interest:
• high and low concentrating optics
• fluorescent / luminescent / daylighting optics
• holographic concentrator optics
• spectrum splitting concentrators
• optimizing integration between optics and solar cells.
• CSP conventionally uses mirrors to reflect sun’s radiation to a receiver where it is converted into high-temperature heat, which generates electricity through a turbine. Transformative concepts in the area of collectors and receivers for CSP with the potential to achieve low cost and high efficiency goals may include:
• novel cost-effective materials and designs for collectors that can be rapidly assembled and installed, have high optical performance (≤ 4.0 mrad pointing accuracy and ≥ 95% weighted spectral reflectivity) while maintaining sufficient flux. Potential technologies include: high-quality optics, ultra-low-cost collectors, material-efficient structures, snap-in-place facets, lenses/membranes, GRIN, waveguides, collector pods, passive tracking, fluidics, photo-responsive materials, etc.
• novel cost-effective receiver materials and selective coatings enabling reliable high-temperature operation (heat transfer fluid exit temperature ≥ 650°C) and high thermal efficiencies ≥ 90%.
• non-imaging approaches to collection and their viable coupling with receivers that meet the optical and thermal requirements above.
• Topics of General Interest in BIPV, CPV and CSP:
• conclusions, analysis, and methods of analysis with regards to real world performance data of concentrator systems and power plants
• manufacturability of advanced optics for low and high concentration
• optical losses including illumination non-uniformity, chromatic aberrations, and reliability issues
• materials development and design of primary and secondary optics
• development, modeling, and reliability of solar cell receiver (including cell protection, mounting and interconnect bonding, heat sinking, and thermal management)
• balance of systems (BOS) development and integration.
• To help reach these goals, this conference on “BIPV and Concentrator Systems for Solar Energy Applications” focuses on increased efficiency/performance, reduced manufacturing cost per unit area, lessons learned and analysis of real world performance data, and verified reliability for BIPV, CPV and CSP systems. These targets present many challenges and opportunities to researchers from academia, national laboratories and industry alike. This conference aims to showcase the latest developments and research solutions to enable BIPV, CPV and CSP to achieve the cost, efficiency and performance goals. Authors are invited to contribute technical papers on research advances and innovative solutions toward these technical targets, to be considered for oral presentation and publication in the proceedings volume.