Development and characterization of semitransparent double skin PV façades

Abstract

This research aims at developing new standardized typologies of semitransparent double skin façades formed by PV laminates in the outer skin. At present there are many buildings in Europe which incorporate such active façades, but all have been designed as user defined projects and very few accurately evaluate the feasibility of using the heat produced within the air gap. There is actually a lack of effective methodology to allow non-specialist architects to design and evaluate such façades. This research tries to address this situation: the Spanish PV manufacturer ISOFOTON, together with the partners of the PVTBUILDING project: CIMNE, the UdL, PICHAguilera, DOMUS and BSC have begun a collaboration to design industrialized modules constituted by an external semitransparent PV layer, a wide air gap and an internal glass layer.

This paper describes the results of four stages of a more wide research: a detailed analysis of the existing double skin façades in office buildings and the definition of a family of standard PV modules and ventilated façades; an intensive evaluation of the existing heat transfer relations for asymmetrical heated vertical air channels; the programming of a dynamic transient solver based on TRNSYS and the validation of the codes with the set up of prototypes and the beginning of an experimental campaign.