Annual Energy Analysis of a Building Integrated Semi-Transparent Photovoltaic Thermal Facade

This study numerically examines the performance of a semi-transparent Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BiSPVT) façade in Srinagar, India's weather conditions. The primary objective is to explore the façade's potential in reducing building energy consumption while enhancing the electrical efficiency of PV modules by effectively cooling their surfaces through adjacent air circulation. A 1-D thermal model, implemented in MATLAB, analyses the façade's performance under distinct weather conditions: clear day, hazy day, hazy and cloudy day, and fully cloudy day. The assessment of climatic conditions considers their impact on both BIPV cell temperature and the annual energy output in a steady state, considering the fluctuations in thermal losses. Results reveal the highest electrical efficiency of 18.9% and an overall thermal efficiency of 57.58% in January. Annually, the BiSPVT façade system generated 121.22 kWh/m2 of electrical energy, 61.06 kWh/m2 of thermal energy, 366.23 kWh/m2 of overall thermal energy, and 122.36 kWh/m2 of useful exergy. These findings offer an insight regarding reduction in utilization of conventional source of energy due to sustainable building design and renewable energy utilization.