Assessment the technical and economic performance of a window-integrated PV system using third-generation PV panels

• Published in: Energy and buildings 2023-05, Vol.286, p.112978, Article 112978
• Main Authors: Kim, Sungchul, An, Jongbaek, Choi, Hyeongho, Hong, Taehoon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Building integrated photovoltaic; Dye-sensitized solar cell; Life cycle cost; Net present value; Organic photovoltaic; Window integrated PV system
• ISSN: 0378-7788
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2023.112978

•The technical & economic performance of the window-integrated PV system was evaluated.•The analysis was conducted on a 3rd generation PV panel with transparency.•In South Korea, window-integrated PV system with 3rd generation PV panel is feasible.•The 3rd generation PV panel is also economical and can open up a new market.•The window-integrated PV system is one of the strategies for net-zero energy building. To reduce the energy consumption of buildings by installing PV panels therein, it is important to accurately predict the technical and economic performance of the PV panels to be installed and to determine whether their installation will result in profits. In this study, a window-integrated PV system was proposed that combines the exterior window of a building with PV panels, and its technical and economic performance was analyzed. To this end, a residential building in Seoul, the most populous area in South Korea, was used as a reference model, and third-generation PV panels were analyzed. The main findings are as follows. First, with respect to the technical performance of the PV panels, the window-integrated OPV system installed in household type B generated the most annual electricity (923.34kWh). However, the window-integrated OPV system installed in household type C generated the most annual electricity per unit area (36.64 kWh/m2). Second, the NPV20 and SIR20 increased as the household’s monthly electricity consumption increased and the closer to the south the orientation of the PV panel was. These results show that the window-integrated PV system that used the third-generation PV panel is expected to be one of the active strategies for achieving net-zero-energy buildings.