Assessment of the Energy Impact of Using Building Integrated Photovoltaic and Electrochromic Glazing in Office Building in UAE

Abstract

The aim of this research was to explore the energy benefits and future potential of using Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) and Electrochromic Glazing (EG) within the climatic conditions of the city of Abu Dhabi. The Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES-VE) energy modeling software was used to assess the energy performance, mainly the reductions in HVAC and lighting, for different configurations and compare that to the base case scenario for south, east, west, and north facing facades. The results showed that the BIPV is most advantageous on the south fa?ade while the EC glazing performs best on the north facing windows. Moreover, the change in sensor location increased the energy savings for both cases, although the change was very marginal compared to the change of the glass properties. Using an automated light control system with dimming for both models, compared against the standard on-off lighting mechanism in the base case, the BIPV proves to have a higher total annual energy saving potential for most orientations, upto 33.5% while dynamic EC was best suited for the North orientation resulting in 7.4% reduction in the total annual energy consumption.