Modelling and simulation of Building-Integrated solar thermal systems: Behaviour of the coupled building/system configuration

Abstract

In the building sector there is a new tendency to integrate solar thermal technologies into buildings. These systems are known as Building-Integrated Solar Thermal (BIST) and offer several advantages in comparison with the Building-Added (BA) installations. The present study is a critical review on modelling of BIST systems and also covers other types of BI solar configurations such as Photovoltaic (PV) and Photovoltaic/Thermal (PVT) in order to provide a better view of the literature. For some instances where the model and/or the system are interesting, BA systems are also cited. The studies are presented into groups, depending on the type of modelling (energetic, thermal, optical, etc.) and based on the technical characteristics of each system (solar collector, skin façade, etc.). The present article is the first part of an investigation about BIST modelling and it gives emphasis on the studies which focus on the interaction between BIST and building (coupled building/system configuration). The study reveals that majority of the modelling are about BIPV and skin façades while there are very few studies on BIST systems. Thereby, more investigations on energetic, thermal, optical simulations for BIST installations particularly for active systems (e.g. active solar thermal collectors) are necessary. On the other hand, innovative ideas such as systems with phase change materials, nanofluids, concentrating solar thermal could also be examined as a future prospect for modelling/simulation. The study also shows that further development of environmental models on BIST systems is required.