In essence, integrated solar panels are the same as traditional solar panels. They absorb sunlight and convert it into usable electricity for your home. The difference is that instead of being mounted on top of your roof, they are built into its structure. This is done by replacing a section of your roof's materials with solar panels.

At its core, BIPV is a category of dual-purpose solar products. Building-integrated photovoltaics generate solar electricity and work as a structural part of a building. Today, most BIPV products are designed for large commercial buildings, like an apartment complex or community center.

Building-integrated photovoltaic panels (BIPV) are photovoltaic materials that are used to replace conventional building materials in parts of the building envelope such as the roof, skylights, or facades.

Building-integrated photovoltaics is a set of emerging solar energy applications that replace conventional building materials with solar energy generating materials in the structure, like the roof, skylights, balustrades, awnings, facades, or windows.