Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Environment, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, P. O. Box: 11155-4563, Tehran, Iran.

2 Department of Energy, Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC), MeshkinDasht, Alborz, Iran.

Abstract

This study presents an analytical method for quantifying the improvement of thermal energy performance of a building integrated photovoltaic double-skin façade. The system was suggested as a retrofit measure for an existing building in Tehran. The effect of thermal performance was analyzed through computer-assisted developed codes using Engineering Equation Solver (EES) software. Three scenarios were defined and for each scenario, temperature and velocity profiles were provided through continuity, momentum, and energy equations. Given that the monocrystalline photovoltaic modules and the double-glazed windows are quite common in the current condition in Tehran, the authors considered them for analysis. A comparison of results is valuable for those cases that intend to select either glass or photovoltaic as the outer façade. The quantitative results illustrate that the proposed system would reduce the cooling demand in the summer case by 18.5 kilowatts, which is around 8.7 percent of the current cooling load. According to the results of the sensitivity analysis, both glass and photovoltaic façades were of greater efficiency in terms of energy saving in the summer. By increasing the ratio between the photovoltaic outer façade to the surface area of the glass section, the amount of energy saving due to the total cooling load reduction will increase. The results of the analysis showed that the application of the suggested system would reduce the thermal load by 2.1 percent in the winter season.

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