A physics-based high-resolution BIPV model for building performance simulations

Abstract

Building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems are considered a promising solution to increase the share of renewable energy in the built environment. To evaluate the BIPV performance at the building level, the implementation of BIPV models in building performance simulation tools is an essential step. This paper presents the development of a multi-physics BIPV model for the simulation of BIPV facades within the openIDEAS framework for building and district energy simulations. The model couples a high-resolution electrical model to physics-based thermal and airflow models. The combination of these two modelling approaches is not common in BIPV models, particularly for building performance simulations. The model predictions are compared to three months of experimental data from a naturally ventilated BIPV module installed in the facade of a test building in Leuven, Belgium. A good agreement is obtained in terms of both BIPV energy yield and temperature. The error in daily energy yield estimations is on average below 3 % and the error in the monthly energy yield is below 2%. The back-of-module temperature is predicted with a MAE lower than 2 °C and RMSE lower than 5 °C.