IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v14y2020i1p178-d473242.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Performance Improvement for Building Integrated Photovoltaics in Practice: A Review

Author

Listed:
  • Yiqing Dai

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia)

  • Yu Bai

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia)

Abstract

Building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) technologies are promising and practical for sustainable energy harvesting in buildings. BIPV products are commercially available, but their electrical power outputs in practice are negatively affected by several factors in outdoor environments. Performance improvement of BIPV applications requires mitigation approaches based on an understanding of these factors. A review was, therefore, conducted on this issue in order to providing guidance for practical applications in terms of the selection of proper PV technologies, temperature management, solar irradiation enhancement and avoidance of excessive mechanical strain. First, major types of PV cells used in BIPV applications were comparatively studied in terms of their electrical performances in laboratorial and outdoor environments. Second, temperature elevations were widely reported in outdoor BIPV applications, which may cause efficiency degradation, and the mitigation approaches may include air-flow ventilation, water circulation and utilization of phase change materials. The heat collected from the PV cells may also be further utilized. Third, mechanical strains may be transferred to the integrated PV cells in BIPV applications, and their effects on electrical performance PV cells were also discussed. In addition, the power output of BIPV systems increases with the solar irradiation received by the PV cells, which may be improved in terms of the location, azimuth and tilt of the cells and the transmittance of surface glazing. Suggestions for practical applications and further research opportunities were, therefore, provided.

Suggested Citation

  • Yiqing Dai & Yu Bai, 2020. "Performance Improvement for Building Integrated Photovoltaics in Practice: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-22, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2020:i:1:p:178-:d:473242
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/1/178/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/1/178/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lu, L. & Yang, H.X., 2010. "Environmental payback time analysis of a roof-mounted building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system in Hong Kong," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(12), pages 3625-3631, December.
    2. Ma, Yi & Li, Guihua & Tang, Runsheng, 2011. "Optical performance of vertical axis three azimuth angles tracked solar panels," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(5), pages 1784-1791, May.
    3. Sorgato, M.J. & Schneider, K. & Rüther, R., 2018. "Technical and economic evaluation of thin-film CdTe building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) replacing façade and rooftop materials in office buildings in a warm and sunny climate," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 84-98.
    4. Shang, Chuanfu & Wei, Pengcheng, 2018. "Enhanced support vector regression based forecast engine to predict solar power output," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 269-283.
    5. Agnieszka Żelazna & Justyna Gołębiowska & Agata Zdyb & Artur Pawłowski, 2020. "A Hybrid vs. On-Grid Photovoltaic System: Multicriteria Analysis of Environmental, Economic, and Technical Aspects in Life Cycle Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-16, August.
    6. Faidra Kotarela & Anastasios Kyritsis & Nick Papanikolaou, 2020. "On the Implementation of the Nearly Zero Energy Building Concept for Jointly Acting Renewables Self-Consumers in Mediterranean Climate Conditions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-29, February.
    7. Sun, Wei & Ji, Jie & Luo, Chenglong & He, Wei, 2011. "Performance of PV-Trombe wall in winter correlated with south façade design," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 224-231, January.
    8. Aelenei, Daniel & Lopes, Rui Amaral & Aelenei, Laura & Gonçalves, Helder, 2019. "Investigating the potential for energy flexibility in an office building with a vertical BIPV and a PV roof system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 189-197.
    9. Ahmed, Omer K. & Hamada, Khalaf I. & Salih, Abdulrazzaq M., 2019. "Enhancement of the performance of Photovoltaic/Trombe wall system using the porous medium: Experimental and theoretical study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 14-26.
    10. Gan, Guohui, 2009. "Effect of air gap on the performance of building-integrated photovoltaics," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 913-921.
    11. Zhang, M.M. & Zhou, D.Q. & Zhou, P. & Liu, G.Q., 2016. "Optimal feed-in tariff for solar photovoltaic power generation in China: A real options analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 181-192.
    12. Kaiser, A.S. & Zamora, B. & Mazón, R. & García, J.R. & Vera, F., 2014. "Experimental study of cooling BIPV modules by forced convection in the air channel," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 88-97.
    13. Adinoyi, Muhammed J. & Said, Syed A.M., 2013. "Effect of dust accumulation on the power outputs of solar photovoltaic modules," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 633-636.
    14. Chow, T.T. & Chan, A.L.S. & Fong, K.F. & Lin, Z. & He, W. & Ji, J., 2009. "Annual performance of building-integrated photovoltaic/water-heating system for warm climate application," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(5), pages 689-696, May.
    15. Martin, Nigel & Rice, John, 2013. "The solar photovoltaic feed-in tariff scheme in New South Wales, Australia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 697-706.
    16. Ng, C.H. & Lim, H.N. & Hayase, S. & Zainal, Z. & Huang, N.M., 2018. "Photovoltaic performances of mono- and mixed-halide structures for perovskite solar cell: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 248-274.
    17. Hu, Zhongting & He, Wei & Ji, Jie & Hu, Dengyun & Lv, Song & Chen, Hongbing & Shen, Zhihe, 2017. "Comparative study on the annual performance of three types of building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) Trombe wall system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 81-93.
    18. Eke, Rustu & Senturk, Ali, 2013. "Monitoring the performance of single and triple junction amorphous silicon modules in two building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) installations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 154-162.
    19. Xu, Lijie & Ji, Jie & Luo, Kun & Li, Zhaomeng & Xu, Ruru & Huang, Shengjuan, 2020. "Annual analysis of a multi-functional BIPV/T solar wall system in typical cities of China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    20. Christophe Ballif & Laure-Emmanuelle Perret-Aebi & Sophie Lufkin & Emmanuel Rey, 2018. "Integrated thinking for photovoltaics in buildings," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 3(6), pages 438-442, June.
    21. Tripathy, M. & Sadhu, P.K. & Panda, S.K., 2016. "A critical review on building integrated photovoltaic products and their applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 451-465.
    22. Lee, Taesoo D. & Ebong, Abasifreke U., 2017. "A review of thin film solar cell technologies and challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 1286-1297.
    23. Rickerson, Wilson H. & Sawin, Janet L. & Grace, Robert C., 2007. "If the Shoe FITs: Using Feed-in Tariffs to Meet U.S. Renewable Electricity Targets," The Electricity Journal, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 73-86, May.
    24. Ye, Liang-Cheng & Rodrigues, João F.D. & Lin, Hai Xiang, 2017. "Analysis of feed-in tariff policies for solar photovoltaic in China 2011–2016," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 203(C), pages 496-505.
    25. Bratislav Svetozarevic & Moritz Begle & Prageeth Jayathissa & Stefan Caranovic & Robert F. Shepherd & Zoltan Nagy & Illias Hischier & Johannes Hofer & Arno Schlueter, 2019. "Dynamic photovoltaic building envelopes for adaptive energy and comfort management," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 4(8), pages 671-682, August.
    26. J. D. Major & R. E. Treharne & L. J. Phillips & K. Durose, 2014. "A low-cost non-toxic post-growth activation step for CdTe solar cells," Nature, Nature, vol. 511(7509), pages 334-337, July.
    27. Hoppmann, Joern & Huenteler, Joern & Girod, Bastien, 2014. "Compulsive policy-making—The evolution of the German feed-in tariff system for solar photovoltaic power," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(8), pages 1422-1441.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Samuel Amo Awuku & Firdaus Muhammad-Sukki & Nazmi Sellami, 2022. "Building Integrated Photovoltaics—The Journey So Far and Future," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-5, February.
    2. Gorjian, Shiva & Bousi, Erion & Özdemir, Özal Emre & Trommsdorff, Max & Kumar, Nallapaneni Manoj & Anand, Abhishek & Kant, Karunesh & Chopra, Shauhrat S., 2022. "Progress and challenges of crop production and electricity generation in agrivoltaic systems using semi-transparent photovoltaic technology," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    3. Summaira Malik & Muhammad Taqi & José Moleiro Martins & Mário Nuno Mata & João Manuel Pereira & António Abreu, 2021. "Exploring the Relationship between Communication and Success of Construction Projects: The Mediating Role of Conflict," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-16, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yiqing Dai & Yan Yin & Yundi Lu, 2021. "Strategies to Facilitate Photovoltaic Applications in Road Structures for Energy Harvesting," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-14, October.
    2. Li, Meng & Ma, Tao & Liu, Jiaying & Li, Huanhuan & Xu, Yaling & Gu, Wenbo & Shen, Lu, 2019. "Numerical and experimental investigation of precast concrete facade integrated with solar photovoltaic panels," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 253(C), pages 1-1.
    3. Vassiliades, C. & Agathokleous, R. & Barone, G. & Forzano, C. & Giuzio, G.F. & Palombo, A. & Buonomano, A. & Kalogirou, S., 2022. "Building integration of active solar energy systems: A review of geometrical and architectural characteristics," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    4. Xiao, Lan & Qin, Liang-Liang & Wu, Shuang-Ying, 2023. "Effect of PV-Trombe wall in the multi-storey building on standard effective temperature (SET)-based indoor thermal comfort," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PB).
    5. Zhang, Lili & Hou, Yuyao & Liu, Zu’an & Du, Junfei & Xu, Long & Zhang, Guomin & Shi, Long, 2020. "Trombe wall for a residential building in Sichuan-Tibet alpine valley – A case study," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 31-46.
    6. Skandalos, Nikolaos & Wang, Meng & Kapsalis, Vasileios & D'Agostino, Delia & Parker, Danny & Bhuvad, Sushant Suresh & Udayraj, & Peng, Jinqing & Karamanis, Dimitris, 2022. "Building PV integration according to regional climate conditions: BIPV regional adaptability extending Köppen-Geiger climate classification against urban and climate-related temperature increases," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    7. Wang, Chuyao & Ji, Jie & Zhang, Chengyan & Ke, Wei & Tang, Yayun & Tian, Xinyi, 2022. "Experimental and numerical investigation of a multi-functional photovoltaic/thermal wall: A practical application in the civil building," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    8. Ke, Wei & Ji, Jie & Xu, Lijie & Yu, Bendong & Tian, Xinyi & Wang, Jun, 2021. "Numerical study and experimental validation of a multi-functional dual-air-channel solar wall system with PCM," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    9. Arias-Rosales, Andrés & LeDuc, Philip R., 2022. "Shadow modeling in urban environments for solar harvesting devices with freely defined positions and orientations," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    10. Weerasinghe, R.P.N.P. & Yang, R.J. & Wakefield, R. & Too, E. & Le, T. & Corkish, R. & Chen, S. & Wang, C., 2021. "Economic viability of building integrated photovoltaics: A review of forty-five (45) non-domestic buildings in twelve (12) western countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    11. Ke, Wei & Ji, Jie & Zhang, Chengyan & Xie, Hao & Tang, Yayun & Wang, Chuyao, 2023. "Effects of the PCM layer position on the comprehensive performance of a built-middle PV-Trombe wall system for building application in the heating season," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 267(C).
    12. Zhao, Bin & Hu, Mingke & Ao, Xianze & Pei, Gang, 2017. "Conceptual development of a building-integrated photovoltaic–radiative cooling system and preliminary performance analysis in Eastern China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 626-634.
    13. Wang, Chuyao & Ji, Jie, 2023. "Comprehensive performance analysis of a rural building integrated PV/T wall in hot summer and cold winter region," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    14. Fernando del Ama Gonzalo & Belen Moreno Santamaria & José Antonio Ferrándiz Gea & Matthew Griffin & Juan A. Hernandez Ramos, 2021. "Zero Energy Building Economic and Energetic Assessment with Simulated and Real Data Using Photovoltaics and Water Flow Glazing," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-20, June.
    15. Lin, Yuan & Ji, Jie & Lu, Xiangyou & Luo, Kun & Zhou, Fan & Ma, Yang, 2019. "Thermal and electrical behavior of built-middle photovoltaic integrated Trombe wall: Experimental and numerical study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    16. Yang, Tingting & Athienitis, Andreas K., 2016. "A review of research and developments of building-integrated photovoltaic/thermal (BIPV/T) systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 886-912.
    17. Wang, Dengjia & Hu, Liang & Du, Hu & Liu, Yanfeng & Huang, Jianxiang & Xu, Yanchao & Liu, Jiaping, 2020. "Classification, experimental assessment, modeling methods and evaluation metrics of Trombe walls," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    18. Pillai, Dhanup S. & Shabunko, Veronika & Krishna, Amal, 2022. "A comprehensive review on building integrated photovoltaic systems: Emphasis to technological advancements, outdoor testing, and predictive maintenance," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    19. Arkar, C. & Žižak, T. & Domjan, S. & Medved, S., 2020. "Dynamic parametric models for the holistic evaluation of semi-transparent photovoltaic/thermal façade with latent storage inserts," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    20. Liang, Shen & Zheng, Hongfei & Wang, Xuanlin & Ma, Xinglong & Zhao, Zhiyong, 2022. "Design and performance validation on a solar louver with concentrating-photovoltaic-thermal modules," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 71-83.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2020:i:1:p:178-:d:473242. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.