Empowered by: KU Leuven, VITO, imec & UHasselt

Presentation of the Façade BIPV Set-Ups Solsthore – Activity 5 - PV Systems for Large Roof Surfaces and Façade Integration

Description• Building Integrated PV (BIPV): solar photovoltaic cells/modules integrated in the building envelope, replacing conventional building materials

• Integrating PV causes higher temperature that can lead to an efficiency drop & reliability failures -> Needs layout providing ventilation

• Three façade BIPV set-ups were installed on a south-west façade of a test building • Thermal, electrical and weather measurements for in-depth characterisation were performed• Aim: impact of ventilation, encapsulant colour, cell technology (mono-facial vs bifacial, advanced metallisation & passivation), validation of electrical and thermal modelling

• Future façades installed in Energyville 2: over 50m² of façades oriented East, South or West

ResultsFaçade 1 & Façade 2: • Ventilated modules perform better due to reduced module temperature

• White encapsulant perform better than black encapsulant due to increased light absorption

• Bifacial cells with advanced metallisation & passivation have an improved power production

• Transparent bifacial modules have a higher energy production• Only a small effect of glass thickness on dynamic thermal response was noted

Façade 3: • Efficient cooling leads to a limited degradation of the performances

• Working on the integration of a micro-inverter in the frame

• Façade 1: 9-cells mini modules: impact of ventilation, encapsulant colour, glass thickness

• Facade 2: 9-cells mini modules: impact of ventilation, encapsulant colour, cell technology (bifacial cells with advanced metallization & passivation)

• Façade 3: fully integrated BIPV ventilated curtain wall façade combining a commercially available 60 cells PV module with an industrial frame

• The façades are used to validate multi-physics BIPV models (electrical and thermal behaviour)

• All façades are based on monocrystalline Si and glass-glass modules

• Data available: over 1,5 yr. for façade 1, 0.5 yr. for façades 2 & 3

Picture of the three façades installed in Leuven

Comparison of energy production for façade 1 & 2 on 5 months

Façade 3 Façade 2 Façade 1