Performance study on photovoltaic thermal building façade component in multi-energy generation during winter

Abstract

Photovoltaic thermal systems have gained tremendous popularity in the production of electric and thermal energy. In this paper, the photovoltaic thermal modules for the building façade assisted by heat pump system is proposed which combines the photovoltaic modules with an evaporator part of the heat pump system to produce hot water and electrical energy. Also, the photovoltaic thermal panels are used to preheat the cold ambient fresh air without heat pump operation. The proposed system was constructed at the Institute of Building Energy, Dalian University of Technology, China to study the ambient fresh air heating characteristic, electrical power generation, and hot water generation through performance evaluation indices under natural weather conditions. It was found that the average electrical, thermal, and overall efficiencies are 8.8%, 26%, and 50%, respectively during the pre-heating of fresh air. While the average air temperature is 15.2°C inside an air gap. The average COP for water heating is 3.91 during the water heating mode. This study could be used as a guide for photovoltaic thermal solar-assisted heat pump systems on building envelopes in a multi-energy generation under different weather conditions. Practical application: The study considers the photovoltaic thermal modules for building façade not only to generate the electrical energy and pre-heated fresh air but also to generate the hot water when assisted with the heat pump system. This research could assist researchers and engineers in the field of photovoltaic thermal façade systems in multi-energy generation such as for the production of electricity, heated/cooled fresh air, and hot water generation.