PV Systems In Buildings Research Articles

Optimizing integrated PV systems in buildings to reduce energy use

Energy efficiency is important in saving energy needs and reducing budget funds for hospital operations. There needs to be an effort to save energy using renewable solar energy sources. This study aimed to determine the optimal energy gain, the Break Event Point value, and the PV efficiency on the facade and roof of the RSUP Trauma Center NTB. It was conducted using a simulation method with the Rhino Grasshopper application and Open Studio Sketchup. It also involved collecting data and creating 3D input models into the Grasshopper and Open Studio plugin. The next stage was simulating OTTV, Cooling Load, and Photovoltaic in the test room within a year. The optimal PV shading based on the simulation was applied to the facade of the Trauma Center building. The results showed that laying PV on the roof would be more effective within 20 years than on the façade. This is because the efficiency value on the roof is higher than on the facade. The PV system measuring at a distance of 0.8 m on the facade and roof is 4.21% and 8.82% efficient, respectively. The efficiency at a distance of 1 m on the façade and roof is 6.31% and 7.81%, respectively.

PV roofs as the first step towards 100% RES electricity production for Mediterranean islands: The case of Cyprus

The challenge of integration of large scale RES to islands seems infeasible when the islands have isolated energy systems without primary fuel sources, with limited sources of RES and without energy storage systems. Cyprus island is one of these cases, which covers 93% of the energy demand using imported fossil fuels. Building sector is the second biggest energy consumer accounting for 19% of the final energy consumption. A net-metering scheme is introduced recently to promote the installation of small PV systems in buildings. This paper therefore takes the approach of analyzing various scenarios for installation of PV roof systems in existing and future households of Cyprus island until 2050. The goal is to achieve 100% renewable energy production to cover the needs of the households sector. Results show that the electricity demand of the domestic sector can be 100% covered when over 70% of the existing residential stock install 3 kW roof PV system. Even if 50% of the existing residential stock install a 3 kW PV system the required capacity from other applications (eg. PV parks) to make domestic sector 100% renewable is 191 MW, which is feasible. To ensure a smooth transition to 100% renewable energy in all sectors, significant actions should be taken for the development of renewable energy systems, sector coupling, smart grid system planning and storage technologies. The present study examines only the potential of the further use of net-metering scheme in the domestic sector and discusses the barriers to full energy transition as well.

Harvesting maximal PV energy with fine grained energy distribution: An alternative to traditional PV systems in buildings

The existing renewable technology in use, particularly solar PVs for homes and other buildings, is billed as a significant step towards providing more robust, secure and affordable electricity. However, unavailability of electricity buyback programs in many regions, and recent changes in buyback policies in some countries make solar costlier due to the need for extra storage in the system. To this end, we present our system called SMaRTI: Self-Managing Renewable Technology Integration. This system is mainly designed for places where the utility grid is available, but for various reasons any excess electrical energy cannot be put back onto the grid through buyback programs. In traditional hybrid or grid-tied PV systems with battery backup, the electrical energy from the PV and the grid are tied at the inverter output. However, in SMaRTI this tying up is carried out at multiple distribution points in the system, giving SMaRTI an opportunity to optimize the PV output more efficiently. By using SMaRTI, not only one can utilize up to 98% of electrical energy generated by PV system but also the cost of ownership is reduced by more than 40% over a ten years period.

Assessment of the photovoltaic potential at urban level based on 3D city models: A case study and new methodological approach

The use of 3D city models combined with simulation functionalities allows to quantify energy demand and renewable generation for a very large set of buildings. The scope of this paper is to determine the solar photovoltaic potential at an urban and regional scale using CityGML geometry descriptions of every building. An innovative urban simulation platform is used to calculate the PV potential of the Ludwigsburg County in south-west Germany, in which every building was simulated by using 3D city models.Both technical and economic potential (considering roof area and insolation thresholds) are investigated, as well as two different PV efficiency scenarios. In this way, it was possible to determine the fraction of the electricity demand that can be covered in each municipality and the whole region, deciding the best strategy, the profitability of the investments and determining optimal locations. Additionally, another important contribution is a literature review regarding the different methods of PV potential estimation and the available roof area reduction coefficients. An economic analysis and emission assessment has also been developed.The results of the study show that it is possible to achieve high annual rates of covered electricity demand in several municipalities for some of the considered scenarios, reaching even more than 100% in some cases. The use of all available roof space (technical potential) could cover 77% of the region’s electricity consumption and 56% as an economic potential with only high irradiance roofs considered. The proposed methodological approach should contribute valuably in helping policy-making processes and communicating the advantages of distributed generation and PV systems in buildings to regulators, researchers and the general public.

A Preliminary Study for Determining Photovoltaic Panel for a Smart Photovoltaic Blind Considering Usability and Constructability Issues

Many countries have implemented PV systems in buildings to solve environmental pollution and energy shortage issues. A smart photovoltaic blind (SPB) reduces indoor energy consumption with a shading device and substitutes energy consumption through a PV system. This study aims to determine a PV technique, which can be implemented in the development of the SPB as an initial step. Toward this end, usability issues (i.e., efficiency, shading effect, and harmful effect) and constructability issues (i.e., size and weight) were reviewed. Results demonstrated that the second PV technique (i.e., a-Si and CIGS) can be applied to the SPB.

스팬드럴 적용 BIPV의 후면 열 특성에 관한 연구

BIPV is applied to buildings in various forms. However, there are some aspects of consideration in applying PV systems in buildings, such as attaching methods, PV electrical efficiency, appearance and so on. BIPV can be installed on curtain wall spandrel as finishing material, which may combine with insulation. The thermal characteristic of spandrel with BIPV has rarely been studied; the temperature of air space between PV module and insulation layer affects both the electrical behavior of PV module and the energy load in a building. This paper aims to analyse the temperature variation of the layers in BIPV spandrels. In this paper, the temperature of layers, including the air space and PV module, was measured for three different type of BIPV applications on spandrel. The results show that the temperature of air layer for the spandrel with G/G(2) type BIPV module on October was the highest among other months.

An overview of the UK Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI's) programme in solar energy

The UK Government has been supporting research, development and promotion of solar energy since 1977. In the early years most of the work was directed towards passive solar design (PSD) and solar thermal systems for water and central heating, referred to simply as active solar systems. In 1984 work on active solar systems was curtailed but the passive solar programme continued through the 1980s. It has now culminated in the Energy Design Advice Scheme (EDAS) to promote and encourage the application of low energy design techniques studied within the DTI programme. Between 1991 and 1993 all the solar technologies were reviewed and some specific projects were carried out on the application of PV systems in buildings. These looked at the overall potential in the UK as well as the problems of integrating PV into building cladding components, and the connection of such systems to the electricity distribution grid. As a result of the reviews, in 1994 the programme gained a broader remit and now includes four distinct sectors; passive solar design, photovoltaics, active solar, and photoconversion. Research work and promotion of the results is now being carried out in all these areas. This article summarises the history of the DTI's solar programme within the context of the wider New and Renewable Energy Market Enablement programme. It goes on to describe the aims and objectives of the current programme as well as describing some recently completed and ongoing projects.