The integration of photovoltaic's (PV's) in buildingdesign, where the PV elements become an integral part ofthe building envelope, often serving as the exteriorweather skin, is growing worldwide. Building IntegratedPhotovoltaic"s (BIPV's) is the integration of PV's into thebuilding envelope rather than as an applied extra feature.The PV modules on the Pearl River tower serve the dualfunction of building skin (spandrel panels) and powergenerator. By avoiding the cost of conventional spandrelpanels, the incremental cost of PV's is reduced and itslife-cycle cost is improved. BIPV systems often havelower overall costs compared to PV systems requiringseparate, dedicated, mounting systems.4The solar radiation on the Pearl River Tower wascarefully studied (Fig 7). It was determined that the useof PV cells could be productive if used on certainportions on building's envelope. The distribution of theBIPV's directly correlates with where they wouldoptimize the solar power offered by the sun. You will see(Fig 8) that they are asymmetrically located at roof levelin order to achieve best performance rather than nonspecific architectural criteria.The system not only provides an electrical supplyfor the building, it also functions a solar shade for thatpart of the building most susceptible to the negativeimpacts of direct solar radiation.