Development of the airflow type photovoltaic system with solar shading effect

Abstract

The number of zero energy buildings (ZEBs) with photovoltaic panels is on the increase. However, in high-rise building which has low ratio of roof area to total floor area, power consumption of the building exceeds electric-generating capacity of photovoltaic panels. For that reason, it is necessary to increase the solar panel area by installing photovoltaic panels on the wall or window. The purpose of this study is to develop the airflow type photovoltaic system with solar shading effect. First, we develop the external louver integrated with the photovoltaic panel which can generate power, recover heat from the panel, and block sunlight into the room. The external louver has holes at the top and bottom to cause natural convection inside the louver which cools the photovoltaic panel and improves the power generation efficiency of the panel. In addition, by taking warm air through the louvers into the room, the heating load of the building will be also reduced. Then, to verify the system, outdoor actual measurement was performed and compared with the non-airflow type photovoltaic system. As the result, ventilation rate through the louver was approximately 4.53 m3/h, and power generation efficiency of the airflow type photovoltaic system was increased 1.70 times than the non-airflow type one.