Understanding the behaviour of building integrated facades: Numerical and experimental analysis

Name: Juliana E. Gonçalves

Supervisor: Dirk Saelens

Co-supervisor: Twan van Hooff

Introduction / Objective
The building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) concept is based on the idea of using PV cells as building materials. BIPV facades not only generate electricity but also perform building envelope functions. This dissertation seeks to understand the behaviour of BIPV facades from a multi- physics, multi-scale and multi-stakeholder perspective.

Research Methodology 

Results & Conclusions
Chapters 2&3: Detailed multi-physics BIPV model satisfies both PV and building physics requirements and provides the highest accuracy. It is still possible to simplify the multi-physics BIPV model
Chapter 4: Exterior convective heat transfer and cavity ventilation are strong parameters
Chapter 5: Important differences in temperature and power output between BIPV modules across the facade caused by variations in exterior heat transfer
Chapter 6: Cavity ventilation: CFD simulations very useful for parametric and detailed analysis, while full-scale data reveal the complex behaviour of cavity ventilation
Chapter 7: Annual data is important to analyze real operation and derive empirical correlations, in turn useful for fast evaluation of BIPV temperature
Chapter 8: Latitude plays an important role on the performance of BIPV facades