PV Roof Integration, a Case Study in Northern Italy: How Modules Arrangement Influences the PV Performance

24th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, 21-25 September 2009, Hamburg, Germany; 4256-4258
A typical problem of retrofit BIPV systems is the power loss due to the temperature increase because the modules are often installed next to another surface. A way to decrease the temperature value of the module and thus of the cell is to allow natural convection underneath the modules, leaving a gap between the PV system and the other surface. The case study of a retrofit PV roof integration was analyzed and monitored. In order to understand the influence of modules arrangement on temperature distribution, several simulations were carried out. The results show that the distance between module arrays do not affect the temperature values in any significant way.