The comparison of single-glass, double-glass and building integrated photovoltaic Trombe wall system applied to a test room in Izmir

Abstract

One of the various systems used for energy conservation in buildings is the building integrated photovoltaic Trombe wall system. This system is applied to the blind south facades of buildings to produce heat and electrical energy. In this article, the energy performance comparison of single-glass, double-glass and a-Si semi-transparent PV module integrated on the Trombe wall façade of a model test room built in Izmir, Turkey has been carried out. The system has been operated during 25–28 February. The temperature variations at certain nodes where the temperature probes are placed have been evaluated. The measured values of inter-space, inlet and outlet air temperatures for a single-glass, double-glass and photovoltaic module have been compared. The surface temperatures of the photovoltaic module and the thermal wall have also been evaluated. The comparison of the thermal performance for three modules has been made according to the experimental results. The change in electrical efficiency by surface temperature of the photovoltaic module has also been interpreted. According to the experimental results 10% of solar radiation has been transmitted through the semi-transparent photovoltaic module. Meanwhile, the electrical efficiency of PV cells can reach 4.65% according to 4 days of experimental results.