ABSTRACT
Building Applied Photovoltaics (BAPV) such as Roof-top Solar PV has gained significant attention in recent years for harnessing the untapped potential of renewable energy sources. However, rooftop PV poses hurdles of space restriction and shadowing in densely packed urban residential neighborhoods. This study aims to design and assess the feasibility of an integrated grid-connected Rooftop and Façade Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) for meeting the energy demand of residential buildings on an academic campus. Three distinctive groups of residential typologies have been investigated in this study, categorized based on built area and occupants' past energy usage. Additionally, the variation in the measured Energy Performance index of the three different residential groups is illustrated to pave the path for the development of a typology-based residential energy benchmarking and labelling system. The Solar PV system has been designed for the maximum household energy demand recorded in CoVID-affected years due to high residential electricity usage in this period. The study showcases that integration of façade BIPV for low-rise residential buildings increases the system energy production to up to 62.5 % based on the utilized surface area for active PV. Furthermore, the Net Zero Energy Building (ZEB) potential for each typology has been achieved by integration of the proposed Solar PV, evaluated as a function of the Energy Performance Index (EPI) and Energy Generation Index (EGI). The designed nominal PV power of the proposed grid-connected plant is 5.6 MW, producing 7182 MWh annually, meeting the maximum residential energy demand in the studied academic campus in CoVID affected year. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.
ABSTRACT
Renewable energy policies emphasize both the utilization of renewable energy sources and the improvement of energy efficiency. Over the past decade, built-in photovoltaic (BIPV) technologies have mostly focused on using photovoltaic ideas and have been shown to aid buildings that partially meet their load as sustainable solar energy generating technologies. It is challenging to install conventional photovoltaic systems on curved facades. In this research, elastic solar panels assisted by flexible photovoltaic systems (FPVs) were developed, fabricated, and analyzed on a 1 m2 scale. A flexible structure on a flat, hemispherical, and cylindrical substrate was studied in real terms. Using the LabVIEW application, warm and dry climate data has been recognized and transmitted online. The results showed that when installed on the silo and biogas interfaces, the fill factor was 88% and 84%, respectively. Annual energy production on the flat surface was 810 kWh, on the cylindrical surface was 960 kWh, and on the hemisphere surface was 1000 kWh, respectively. The economic results indicate that the net present value (NPV) at a flat surface is USD 697.52, with an internal rate of return (IRR) of 34.81% and a capital return term of 8.58 years. Cylindrical surfaces and hemispheres each see an increase of USD 955.18. The investment yield returned 39.29% and 40.47% for cylindrical and hemispheres structures. A 20% increase in fixed investment in the flat system increased IRR by 21.3%, while this increase was 25.59% in the cylindrical system and 24.58% in the hemisphere. Research innovation is filling the gap on the use of flexible solar panels on curved and unconventional surfaces.