Thermal modeling of semi-transparent photovoltaics: impacts on the cell efficiency and on the zone performance
In semi-transparent photovoltaic (STPV) systems, the heat accumulated in the back of the panels can be transmitted to the thermal zone and contribute to the heating effects. It can even cause an increase in the temperature of the photovoltaic (PV) cell, which reduces the efficiency of the system. This article aims to develop, through EnergyPlus software, a modeling method of the thermal properties of an STPV system, to evaluate the influence of the heat generated by the PV system in the internal temperature of the simulated environment and in the efficiency of the PV system itself. The method included computational simulations, in which we proposed STPV systems combined with different window configurations: single and double glazing, different thicknesses for the air gap, and high-performance glass. Shading devices play the role of the PV material to retrieve its thermal properties. The simulations showed that the STPV materials influence the thermal conditions of the zone, due to the increase in the mean air temperature (3.3°C) and the increase in the surface temperature of the windows (17.4°C). The differences among the window models were more significant in the thermal issues than in the variations of the PV system efficiency. The results confirm that the most used case in the literature presented the best performance, what strengthens the reliability of the proposed method.