Experimental and theoretical analysis of photovoltaic performance and thermal behavior for bifacial PV-Trombe wall system with reversible louvers in summer

• Published in: Energy (Oxford) 2024-12, Vol.312, p.133663, Article 133663
• Main Authors: Su, Xiaoxiao, Luo, Chenglong, Chen, Xinzhu, Jiang, Qingyang, Yu, Yanshun, El Shenawy, E.T., Li, Wenxin, Zhang, Hua, Peng, Ruili
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bifacial PV cell; Louver gain; Passive space cooling; Reversible louvers; Trombe wall
• ISSN: 0360-5442
• DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2024.133663

The traditional monofacial PV-Trombe wall can harness both solar photovoltaic (PV) and thermal energy in buildings, but its performance is hindered by the need for transparent PV glass panels, which reduces PV power generation performance. To address this issue, this paper introduces a novel bifacial PV-Trombe Wall that leverages the rear-side power generation capability of bifacial PV cells. Theoretical analysis of the PV power generation performance of the system highlighted key factors and relationships, indicating that at a coverage rate of 0.5, the increase in its power generation compared to traditional systems reaches a maximum of 17.46 %. Furthermore, an experimental setup was devised and tested to explore the system's PV performance and thermal behavior during the summer season. The experimental results show that the reflective function of reversible louvers had successfully reduced the maximum temperature and rate of temperature rise on the attached wall, effectively alleviating the issue of solar heat absorption in buildings during summer. Besides, the system with reversible louvers improved the overall PV efficiency from 15.40 % to 16.17 %, with a total power generation increase of 5.04 %. Therefore, the system can enhance PV power generation and efficiently decrease the building's cooling energy consumption during the summer. •Mitigates power losses in PV-Trombe wall systems caused by transparency design limitations.•Enhances the seasonal adaptability of the PV-Trombe wall system.•Analyzes the impact of photovoltaic cell coverage on power output.•Assesses the system's photovoltaic performance and thermal behavior under real-world conditions.•Introduces louver gain as a metric to evaluate the effectiveness of the new system.