A review on building-integrated photovoltaic/thermal systems for green buildings

Abstract

Space constraints in urban areas can make it difficult to utilise renewable energy resources, like solar energy systems. However, this limitation can be overcome by utilising building façades to produce energy. Up to 40% of the global energy demand is due to the energy consumed by buildings, which also account for 33% of the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Buildings have both electrical and thermal energy demand for various processes such as lighting, space heating and hot water supply. The simultaneous production of electrical and thermal energies is possible with photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) systems. Electrical efficiency can be upgraded by decreasing the surface temperatures of the photovoltaic (PV) panels with the working fluid circulating in the system. Building-integrated PV/T (BIPV/T) systems within building façades can successfully produce both electrical and thermal energy and, thus, improve buildings’ energy performance. This review study explains the operation of BIPV/T systems, their classification and utilisation benefits, performance improvement techniques, and potential contributions to energy-efficient buildings. The major goal of this study is to present new users and researchers with access to up-to-date sources of information about BIPV/T systems in the literature. This study includes recent BIPV/T technological advancements published in literature, emphasises the primary goals of the cited works and their hotspots, and, thus, provides readers with an overview of the topic rather than a detailed analysis of BIPV/T systems.