A Two-Dimensional Model of a Double-Façade With Integrated Photovoltaic Panels

Abstract

Building integrated photovoltaic (PV) systems that include heat capture are more cost effective than PV systems that generate only electricity. This paper presents a two-dimensional control-volume model for a double-façade with integrated PV. The model may be employed to determine maximum PV temperature. Good agreement with a one-dimensional analytical model is obtained for air temperature rise. Experiments in Montreal showed that air temperatures could increase by 20°C when passing air through a 1m high façade section, and maximum PV temperatures of close to 50°C could be reached even in −17°C weather for an air velocity of 0.6m∕s. The highest uncertainty in PV temperature prediction is due to the values of convective heat transfer coefficients from the literature which are generally lower than observed values.