P1. Building Integrated Photovoltaics > Approach 

Objectives:

• To develop a validated design algorithm to predict the energy production of building-integrated photovoltaic modules.
  
• To use the resulting model to predict the energy savings possible by using curtain-wall photovoltaic products that are integrated for buildings in high growth areas of California.

• Monitor the performance of PV panels with four different PV technologies, installed with and without backing insulation, for one year. The research team designed, procured, and installed building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panels in the south façade of NIST's Building and Fire Research Laboratory. Performance and environmental data were collected for one year on four different BIPV technologies (single-crystalline, poly-crystalline, silicon film, and triple junction amorphous silcon panels), mounted in insulated and un-insulated configurations.
  
• Characterize the cell technologies using a solar tracker facility. The short-term characterization data and measured meteorological data were used with existing algorithms to predict the performance of building-integrated PV panels. Based on the comparative results, improved algorithms were developed.
  
• Prepare an economic assessment of the four PV panel technologies using simulations in coastal and inland California climate zones. Coefficients from the improved algorithms were used in a DOE 2.2 model to predict the estimated impact of integrated PV building products on electrical demand, peak loads and energy consumption in commercial buildings in California. The modeled building was a three-story, "L"-shaped, with 10,000 sf per floor. Two orientations were investigated: one with no self-shading (convex side of the "L") and the other with self-shading (concave side of the "L"). It is known from previous research that arrays with more series voltage connections are more susceptible to power loss due to partial shading than arrays with more parallel voltage connections. The simulated array was assumed to be the best case, i.e., maximizing the parallel voltage connections. Two coastal climate zones (CZ-03 - Bay Area, and CZ-06 - South Coast) and two inland climate zones (CZ-10 - Riverside, and CZ-12 - Sacramento) were simulated.

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