Analysis of electricity generation efficiency in photovoltaic building systems made of HIT-IBC cells for multi-family residential buildings

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this article is to analyze the efficiency of electricity generation in photovoltaic systems located on the building made on the basis of HIT-IBC cells for multi-family residential buildings. The comparative analysis of the efficiency of electricity generation by photovoltaic (PV) installations made of two cell types -Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin-layer-Interdigitated Back Contact (HIT-IBC) and classical mono-crystalline silicon (mono-Si) - showed that the efficiency of HIT-IBC cells is 60% higher. These cells were selected for use as photo-voltaic systems located on the building to cover the demand for electricity through an exemplary multi-family residential building, consisting of 35 apartments divided into two, three and four-person households. Considering the previous calculations, in which it was shown that a PV installation made of HIT-IBC cells (PV1) is able to generate 192,75 kWh/(m2·y), annual electricity production was calculated by the indicated photovoltaic installation. It was found that the photovoltaic installation located on the roof of the building, based on HIT-IBC cells, will allow to cover the total electricity demand by a selected multi-family building. In addition, the installation’s payback period of 9 years was calculated, which takes a high place in the lifespan of photovoltaic installations of 20-25 years and thus ensuring the economic efficiency of the adopted technical solutions.