What is VIPV (Vehicle-Integrated Photovoltaics)?
VIPV stands for Vehicle-Integrated Photovoltaics – the integration of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology directly onto a vehicle to generate energy during daylight hours.
Rather than thinking of solar as simply an additional panel fitted to a vehicle, VIPV considers how solar technology can be integrated into the vehicle and its wider electrical system to provide useful energy in real-world operating conditions.
For commercial vehicles, that energy can be used in several ways – from maintaining critical 12V and 24V batteries to supporting onboard electrical equipment or contributing to larger integrated energy systems.
How Does VIPV Work?
A typical commercial vehicle VIPV system combines a solar panel with a charge controller and the vehicle or equipment battery.
The solar panel harvests energy from available daylight. The charge controller manages that energy and delivers it to the battery or electrical system at the appropriate voltage.
Importantly, VIPV doesn’t require bright sunshine to WORK. A well-designed CIGS (copper, indium, gallium, selenide) vehicle solar system can harvest energy throughout daylight hours, including during cloudy and lower-light conditions.
The amount of energy generated depends on factors including panel size and technology, available daylight, location, season, shading, vehicle orientation and the available installation area.
What Can VIPV Be Used for on Commercial Vehicles?
The role of VIPV depends on the vehicle and its power requirements.
One of Genie Insights’ most common applications is battery protection,where solar provides an ongoing source of energy during daylight hours to help maintain 12V or 24V batteries and offset electrical loads from equipment such as telematics, trackers, cameras, monitoring systems and vehicle electronics.
VIPV can also provide supplementary power, helping to support fixed onboard equipment and reduce demand on the vehicle’s primary electrical system.
For applications with greater energy requirements and a sufficient installation area, solar can form part of a wider auxiliary or integrated energy system, working alongside batteries and other energy sources to power equipment on or close to the vehicle, such as tail lifts, microwaves, kettles or power tools.
Why Is VIPV Particularly Relevant to Commercial Vehicles?
Modern commercial vehicles are becoming increasingly dependent on electrical power. At the same time, the transition to electric vehicles is creating new energy-management challenges. VIPV provides an opportunity to generate energy directly on the vehicle wherever sufficient daylight is available, helping fleets manage these growing electrical demands without relying solely on the vehicle’s primary energy source.
Is VIPV Just for Electric Vehicles?
No. Although VIPV is popular for electric vehicles, the technology can provide benefits across both ICE and electric commercial fleets.
On conventional ICE vehicles, solar can maintain batteries, help support electrical equipment and, in some applications, reduce reliance on the engine or alternator for supplementary power.
On electric vehicles, the conversation shifts from fuel efficiency towards energy efficiency. Solar can help maintain auxiliary batteries and support electrical loads that would otherwise ultimately need to be replenished from the vehicle’s primary energy source.
VIPV can therefore play a role throughout the transition from conventional to increasingly electrified commercial fleets.
What Makes a Solar System Suitable for VIPV?
Putting a solar panel on a vehicle is only the beginning. Vehicle solar technology operates in a very different environment from stationary photovoltaic installations. Weight, flexibility, vibration resistance, mechanical shock, reliability, weather resistance, safety and integration with vehicle electrical systems all need to be considered. For commercial vehicle applications, the complete system therefore needs to be designed around the realities of a working vehicle.
Genie Insights uses lightweight, flexible CIGS solar technology combined with vehicle-ready charge controllers and associated components to create systems designed specifically for commercial fleet applications.
Our approach considers the complete solution – including solar technology, voltage, charge control, installation method, electrical demand and real-world operating conditions – rather than simply selecting a panel based on headline wattage.
Setting the Benchmark for Commercial Vehicle VIPV
As VIPV adoption grows, we believe fleets should expect the same focus on quality, safety and engineering assurance from vehicle solar technology as they would from other systems integrated into a commercial vehicle.
Genie Insights’ vehicle solar solutions are backed by an extensive programme of testing, certification and product assurance covering areas including vibration and mechanical shock, environmental performance, electrical safety, electromagnetic compatibility, fire performance, ingress protection, bonding and component quality.
We are confident that no other vehicle-integrated photovoltaic (VIPV) solar solution on the market can match the breadth of testing, certification and compliance credentials achieved by Genie Insights.
Explore our Solar Product Assurances
The Future of VIPV
Vehicle-Integrated Photovoltaics is attracting increasing international attention as vehicle manufacturers and fleet operators look for new ways to manage onboard energy demand and improve transport efficiency.
Research through the International Energy Agency’s PVPS Task 17 programme is examining the potential, technical requirements and challenges associated with integrating photovoltaic technology into vehicles.
For commercial fleets, however, VIPV is no longer a technology for the future. Solar is already being used in real-world commercial vehicle applications to protect batteries, support onboard equipment, improve reliability and reduce dependence on conventional energy sources.
At Genie Insights, we have been developing and deploying commercial vehicle solar solutions since 2019, applying the technology across refrigerated transport, eLCVs, HGVs, waste and recycling vehicles and other specialist fleet applications.
