Researchers from Germany have developed a PV-activated design facade element with aluminum as the base material, funded by Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The approach involves directly laminating a PV module onto the aluminum facade element, with challenges such as bending and electrical insulation addressed. The prototypes of the PV-activated facade element differ from a facade element without PV by only two connectors, making them more likely to be accepted and used by installers. Scientists have developed a prototype called BIPV-4 for a façade element that utilizes aluminum-based PV technology, demonstrating that it can match conventional module performance while maintaining safe electrical isolation. The design includes rear junction boxes, insulated cross-connectors, a zigzag 3D structure, golden anodized aluminum, and optimized use of M12 cells. The group also created multiple PV design façade variants with adaptable cell formats, different surface geometries, and customizable color options, allowing for integration into diverse façade geometries and scalable to different module sizes up to 2 meters.