Investigation of the energy performance of a novel modular solar building envelope

Ren, Gang; Zhao, Xudong; Zhan, Changhong; Jin, Hong; Zhou, Aishen

Abstract

The major challenges for the integration of solar collecting devices into a building envelope are related to the poor aesthetic view of the appearance of buildings in addition to the low efficiency in collection, transportation, and utilization of the solar thermal and electrical energy. To tackle these challenges, a novel design for the integration of solar collecting elements into the building envelope was proposed and discussed. This involves the dedicated modular and multiple-layer combination of the building shielding, insulation, and solar collecting elements. On the basis of the proposed modular structure, the energy performance of the solar envelope was investigated by using the Energy-Plus software. It was found that the solar thermal efficiency of the modular envelope is in the range of 41.78–59.47%, while its electrical efficiency is around 3.51% higher than the envelopes having photovoltaic (PV) alone. The modular solar envelope can increase thermal efficiency by around 8.49% and the electrical efficiency by around 0.31%, compared to the traditional solar photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) envelopes. Thus, we have created a new envelope solution with enhanced solar efficiency and an improved aesthetic view of the entire building.

Citation

Ren, G., Zhao, X., Zhan, C., Jin, H., & Zhou, A. (2017). Investigation of the energy performance of a novel modular solar building envelope. Energies, 10(12), 880. https://doi.org/10.3390/en10070880

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 26, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Jun 30, 2017
• Publication Date: 2017-06
• Deposit Date: Jul 4, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 4, 2017
• Journal: Energies
• Electronic ISSN: 1996-1073
• Publisher: MDPI
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 12
• Article Number: ARTN 880
• Pages: 880
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en10070880
• Keywords: Modular solar building envelope; Photovoltaic/thermal; Integration; Energy efficiency
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/453263
• Publisher URL: http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/7/880/htm
• Additional Information: This is a copy of an open access article accepted for publication in: Energies (2017) v.10 issue 7.
• Contract Date: Jul 4, 2017