Design and performance testing of a novel building integrated photovoltaic thermal roofing panel

• Published in: Building simulation 2023-10, Vol.16 (10), p.1863-1879
• Main Authors: Zadshir, Mehdi, Wu, Chunlin, Yu, Xiaokong, Yin, Huiming
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Building Construction and Design; Building envelopes; Design optimization; Efficiency; Energy harvesting; Engineering; Engineering Thermodynamics; Finite element method; Finite volume method; Heat; Heat and Mass Transfer; Liquid flow; Mass transfer; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Operating temperature; Photovoltaic cells; Research Article; Roofing; Solar energy; Temperature gradients; Water use
• ISSN: 1996-3599; 1996-8744
• DOI: 10.1007/s12273-023-1027-z

A novel building integrated photovoltaic thermal (BIPVT) roofing panel has been designed considering both solar energy harvesting efficiency and thermal performance. The thermal system reduces the operating temperature of the cells by means of a hydronic loop integrated into the backside of the panel, thus resulting in maintaining the efficiency of the solar panels at their feasible peak while also harvesting the generated heat for use in the building. The performance of the proposed system has been evaluated using physical experiments by conducting case studies to investigate the energy harvesting efficiency, thermal performance of the panel, and temperature differences of inlet/outlet working liquid with various liquid flow rates. The physical experiments have been simulated by coupling the finite element method (FEM) and finite volume method (FVM) for heat and mass transfer in the operation. Results show that the thermal system successfully reduced the surface temperature of the solar module from 88 °C to as low as 55 °C. Accordingly, the output power that has been decreased from 14.89 W to 10.69 W can be restored by 30.2% to achieve 13.92 W. On the other hand, the outlet water from this hydronic system reaches 45.4 °C which can be used to partially heat domestic water use. Overall, this system provides a versatile framework for the design and optimization of the BIPVT systems.