Modelling and simulation of Building-Integrated solar thermal systems: Behaviour of the system

Abstract

Building-Integrated Solar Thermal (BIST) systems are a new tendency in the building sector and provide multiple advantages in comparison with the Building-Added (BA) installations. The present paper is a critical review about solar system modelling with emphasis on BIST configurations. The review includes also BI solar systems which produce electricity (Photovoltaic: PV) or both electrical/thermal energy (Photovoltaic/Thermal: PVT) in order to provide a more complete view of the current literature. For some cases where the system and/or the model are of great interest, BA configurations are also cited. The references are presented separated into groups, based on the model type (thermal, energetic simulation, etc.) and system characteristics (solar thermal collector, skin façade, etc.). The present review is the 2nd part of an investigation about BIST modelling and it focuses on modelling studies about the solar system itself. The results reveal that most of the investigations about BI configurations refer to PVT, PV or skin façades while there are few studies about BIST systems. Thus, there is a need for more investigations about BIST installations, especially for active configurations which could provide thermal (or electrical/thermal) energy for building energy requirements. On the other hand, more optical simulations as well as more life-cycle analysis studies about BIST are also necessary. Taking into account the findings of the 1st part of the present investigation, majority of the BIST modelling studies focus on the system itself; thereby, more investigations which examine the system in conjunction with the building are needed. Moreover, concepts such as BI concentrating solar systems could also be examined provided that the system is viable from technical/economic point of view.