Photovoltaic energy balance estimation based on the building integration level

• Published in: Energy and buildings 2023-03, Vol.282, p.112786, Article 112786
• Main Authors: Lillo-Bravo, I., Lopez-Roman, Anton, Moreno-Tejera, Sara, Delgado-Sanchez, J.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: BIPV; Photovoltaic; Photovoltaic cooling; Photovoltaic integration level in building; Ventilation
• ISSN: 0378-7788
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2023.112786

•Main factors with influence on the PV energy balance in building are identified.•PV technologies, integration level and climatic conditions in BIPV are disaggregated.•Comparison between natural ventilation and cooling systems in BIPV are detailed. The photovoltaic module building integration level affects the module temperature and, consequently, its output power. In this work, a methodology has been proposed to estimate the influence of the level of architectural photovoltaic integration on the photovoltaic energy balance with natural ventilation or with forced cooling systems. The developed methodology is applied for five photovoltaic module technologies (m-Si, p-Si, a-Si, CdTe, and CIGS) on four characteristic locations (Athens, Davos, Stockholm, and Würzburg). To this end, a photovoltaic module thermal radiation parameter, PVj, is introduced in the characterization of the PV module technology, rendering the correlations suitable for building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) applications, with natural ventilation or with forced cooling systems. The results show that PVj has a significant influence on the energy balances, according to the architectural photovoltaic integration and climatic conditions.