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For rooftop building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) technology, photovoltaic (PV) modules are typically mounted on the sunny side of a rooftop to receive a high amount of solar irradiance, whereas the opposite side of the rooftop will have free space. This study proposed a novel strategy for building-integrated PV and radiative cooling (RC) system, namely BIPV−RC system, by covering the sunny side of a rooftop with PV modules and its free side with all-day RC modules to integrate solar energy collection and RC utilization into a single building unit. A mathematical model was developed for the proposed BIPV−RC system and a case study was conducted in two tropical cities (Karachi, Pakistan and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). Results show the total electricity and cooling output of the BIPV−RC system in Riyadh is 462.1 kWh·m−2 and 1315.3 MJ m−2, respectively, approximately 20.7% and 94.0% higher than those in Karachi. Moreover, a comparative study between the BIPV−RC system and the common BIPV and building-integrated RC (BIRC) system was performed and results indicate that the annual total energy output of the BIPV−RC system is nearly 79.1% and 16.8% higher than that of BIPV and BIRC system, respectively. • A novel strategy for BIPV and all-day radiative cooling hybrid system was proposed. • A simulation model of the hybrid system was established and validated. • The feasibility of the proposed strategy was numerically demonstrated. • The radiative cooling mechanism is more suitable for dry regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Windows integrated with PV can provide electrical energy and control the energy flow (heat and light) through the windows. With the objective of evaluate the potential application of window integrated PV in southwest China, the performance of silicon PV windows was comprehensively studied. A test unit was developed to monitor the performance of window integrated PV, then a validated comprehensive approach integrated with heat transfer, optical, electrical and building simulation model was used to comprehensively evaluate the performance of the window integrated PV under various climatic conditions in southwest China. The effects of the air gap on window thermal performance, window orientation, different window-to-wall ratio and coverage ratio of PV cells are evaluated. It was found that a maximum energy saving could be achieved, when the PV window is installed on the south facing façade with a PV cell coverage ratio of 0,87, air gap of 9 mm between the two glazing panes. It was found that a maximum energy saving of 983 kWh was achieved in Lhasa. A highest energy saving ratio of 83% was found in Kunming. The window integrated PV shows good energy saving potential under different climatic conditions in Southwest China. The highlights of this paper could be collected as below: • C-Si PV window with reasonable c-Si cells arrangement was designed. • The energy consumption of the building with PV windows was tested. • The design of STPV façade was optimized by the test and simulation results. • The energy saving potential of c-Si PV window in Southwest China is studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract As a highly urbanised city-state with limited rooftop space but large façade areas of skyscrapers, Singapore is particularly suitable for the implementation of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). This study aims to identify relevant barriers that still hinder the greater adoption of BIPV perceived by stakeholders in Singapore, as well as the drivers for BIPV that would lead building sector to adopt BIPV technologies. The study involved five important groups of stakeholders i.e. governmental authorities, building developers, architects, engineers, and PV/BIPV manufacturers to participate in a questionnaire survey. The results identified that on-site generation of clean energy bundled with economic benefits, Green Mark certification, and avoidance of CO 2 emissions are the most influential drivers, while long-term payback period, high upfront cost, and low energy conversion efficiency are the three most substantial barriers to BIPV. Furthermore, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to examine whether the various stakeholder groups perceive the drivers and barriers differently. It was discovered that various stakeholder groups perceive the drivers similarly, but the significantly different opinions have been perceived on several barriers. This study provides suggestions to overcome barriers to BIPV not only in Singapore, but also other countries that aim to promote BIPV technologies. Highlights • Barriers to and drivers for BIPV development in Singapore were investigated. • Generating renewable energy and achieving green mark certification are influential drivers. • Long-term payback period and high upfront cost are significant barriers. • Stakeholder groups perceive the drivers similarly but the barriers differently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of Building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) depends on the incident solar radiation, photovoltaic (PV) cell temperature, location and orientations of the building. In this work, the building integrated photovoltaic–phase change material (BIPV–PCM) module has been developed to enhance the performance of the BIPV system by regulating its PV cell temperature using PCM. The BIPV and BIPV-PCM system performance has been assessed outdoors by installing it on the facades of experimental room at Kovilpatti (9°10′0″N, 77°52′0″E), Tamil Nadu, and India. The thermal regulation of the system is provided with inorganic glauber salt (Na 2 SO 4 ·10H 2 O) phase change material (PCM). The improvement in electrical and thermal performance of the BIPV due to the incorporation of PCM is studied. The various parameters such as power generation, solar heat gain, module surface temperatures and electrical efficiency are analysed. On observation, it is found that BIPV-PCM maintained lower peak instantaneous temperature than the reference BIPV, leading to improved BIPV-PCM cell conversion efficiencies. The experimental results show that BIPV- PCM electrical efficiency is increased by 10% while its surface temperature is reduced up to 8 °C than the reference BIPV module. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems are meeting with their limitations. By incorporating thermoelectric radiant system with PV module, a prototype of building integrated photovoltaic thermoelectric (BIPVTE) wall system is proposed and numerically investigated. The system model of BIPVTE wall is established and validated by experimental data. The comprehensive system performance evaluation is conducted based on the comparison with the traditional PV wall and massive wall in hot summer and cold winter zone of China. The comparison between BIPVTE and PV wall in steady state can explain the system working mechanism as well as its weakness. Besides, the typical-day, seasonal and annual dynamic performance evaluations are implemented for the application potential analysis of BIPVTE in Changsha city and other four typical modern cities. The results indicate that BIPVTE wall can achieve noticeable reduction of annual heating/cooling load. The highest energy saving ratio of 172% compared with the massive wall is achieved under Shanghai weather condition. This system has the potential to make contribution to zero energy buildings and low exergy buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building integrated ETFE foils are used as the absorbing structure in the solar energy targeted applications. These foils as a building transparent material have been drawing much more attention for the past decades. In addition, integration of amorphous photovoltaic cells with these ETFE foils is taken into account due to the low production cost and its resistance to high operating temperatures. In the present study, a Building integrated Photovoltaic thermal (BIPV/T) ETFE cushion roof was numerically modeled and the thermal and electrical performances of this system were obtained in two cases: the cushion with the steady state mass flow and the cushion with the air pressure regulator system. Verification of the modeling was performed by comparing the model's results with the available experimental data in the literature. The main strength of the present modeling is consideration of the air pressure regulator system in the modeling process which has not been studied yet. The result of the present study showed that the present model predicts the BIPV/T ETFE cushion performance with a reasonable accuracy and can predict the system performance under different operating conditions. The results also showed that in case of the cushion with the steady state mass flow, the power generation is 15% higher than that of the cushion with the pressure regulator system. However, the cushion with the steady state mass flow has a low net output generated power due to the high consumed power of the blower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the economic feasibility of the BIPV system as a building envelope material for the whole building skins. The paper is dealing with the lifecycle cost analysis (LCCA) of BIPV system in the capitals of all the European Union member states (EU) as well as the capitals of Norway and Switzerland. The results revealed that by a discount rate of zero, BIPV system could refund all the investment even on the north facades while in terms of traditional building envelope materials as an alternative option for building skins, there would be rarely added benefits after investment. Furthermore, the societal and environmental benefits of a BIPV system in Europe have its greatest impact on the south façade. Moreover, for all the studied directions of building skins with a discount rate of five present in Europe except the north facade, just the quantified amount of societal and environmental advantages of BIPV systems could almost reimburse all the invested money. The results illustrated that the BIPV system as a building envelope material for the whole building skins could reimburse not only all the investment costs but also become a source of income for the building. • BIPV is presented as a building envelope material for the whole building skins. • Economic analyses of a BIPV system in 30 countries are presented. • NPV, DPP, and IRR calculation for BIPV as a material for the whole building skins are done. • Replacing conventional façade materials with BIPV modules for building skins is feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries apply measures for the limitation of the conventional energy technologies and try to expand the use of renewables. As the building sector accounts for almost 40% of the energy consumption in Europe, building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems gain peoples' interest lately concerning the replacement of the conventional construction materials of the buildings envelope with photovoltaic (PV) panels which can serve at the same time as construction material and energy producer. The aim of this study is to present an overview of the available published research on the BIPV systems and identify the barriers and risks associated with the application of BIPV and discuss the future perspectives and solutions through recommendations for future research and development. The most important barriers of the BIPV systems are the feed in tariff implementation, the public acceptance, the governmental economic support in terms of subsidies and technical aspects like the power losses and the architectural considerations. The future perspectives of the BIPV systems proposed are based on the barriers discussed. It is stated that new solutions in the PV industry are many and various and there is room for improvement regarding design, configuration, ventilation, positioning, guidelines, monitoring and performance prediction. In total, more than 100 articles have been identified and analysed since 2000. Many of these articles have a predominant focus on the investigation of the performance of the system, and the ventilation of the PV panels in BIPV applications for electricity production, due to the negative role of the temperature on PVs electrical efficiency, and the heat transfer behavior of the system. This paper shows that although research in the adoption of BIPV systems in terms of their performance and optimization is fairly new, it has gained attention in the last decades. However, their practical applications have been slow in comparison with the conventional rack-mounted PV panels. • Status of the BIPV systems applications and configurations. • Technical barriers of the BIPV systems. • Future perspectives and recommendations to increase the usage of BIPV systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work presents a dynamic simulation and an energy and economic analysis of two different Building Integrated Solar Technologies, namely: Building Integrated PhotoVoltaic (BIPV) collectors and Building Integrated hybrid PhotoVoltaic-Thermal (BIPVT) collectors. Both systems are coupled with small size Wind Turbines (WTs), to reduce the fluctuations of power production typical of solar systems. A case study is presented, referred to a hotel building, where a reversible air-to-water Heat Pump (HP) is used for space heating and cooling, driven by the electric energy provided by PV collectors and WTs. In order to optimize the HP performance in cooling mode, thermal energy is recovered from the HP desuperheater and used to produce domestic hot water (DHW). A two-stage cascade cycle HP for DHW purposes was also investigated, as a further alternative. The systems were simulated by means of a dynamic simulation model, developed in TRNSYS. The results show that the BIPV-based system is more profitable than the BIPVT one, achieving a simple payback period of about 4.5 years; for both systems, the optimum size of the WT system, for a given area of PV collectors, was also investigated. • Building integrated photovoltaic and photovoltaic/thermal collectors are compared. • Combination of solar and wind energy to reduce fluctuations of power production. • Systems are dynamically simulated in TRNSYS environment. • Simple payback period of about 4.5 years for photovoltaic-based system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]