Performance assessment of Trombe wall and south façade as applications of building integrated photovoltaic systems

Abstract

This paper presented an experimental study of two distinct building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) wall systems and analyzed them based on their electrical, thermal, and combined performance. Two BIPV prototypes were constructed, one as a BIPV Trombe wall (BIPVTW) and the other as a BIPV south facade (BIPVSF), and their performance was evaluated by comparing them to a reference chamber. The experimentation yielded data on electrical power output, temperatures, and irradiance, which was then analyzed. As a result of this study, both the system saved energy in terms of heat required to raise indoor temperature and electricity generation, but the overall performance of BIPVTW dominated over BIPVSF. The daily electrical power of the BIPVSF system was 38.6% more than that of BIPVTW, but the daily heat gain of the BIPVTW system was 3.2 times of the BIPVSF system. Furthermore, BIPVSF and BIPVTW systems achieved daily average combined efficiencies of 13.16% and 39.67%, respectively. Even though the electrical power output is diminished when photovoltaic is used as BIPVSF and BIPVTW, the hybrid use of both systems can furnish a decent combined efficiency. Incorporating these technologies into buildings can generate power and preserve energy for interior heating, reducing fossil fuel use and carbon emissions.