Experimental Characterization of the Optical Performance of Concentrating Photovoltaic Glazing (CoPVG) Systems

Mohammad Ghoraishi, Trevor Hyde, Aggelos Zacharopoulos, Jayanta Deb Mondol and Adrian Pugsley
Additional contact information
Mohammad Ghoraishi: Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Belfast School of Architecture and the Built Environment, Ulster University, Belfast BT15 1ED, UK
Trevor Hyde: Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Belfast School of Architecture and the Built Environment, Ulster University, Belfast BT15 1ED, UK
Aggelos Zacharopoulos: Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Belfast School of Architecture and the Built Environment, Ulster University, Belfast BT15 1ED, UK
Jayanta Deb Mondol: Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Belfast School of Architecture and the Built Environment, Ulster University, Belfast BT15 1ED, UK
Adrian Pugsley: Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Belfast School of Architecture and the Built Environment, Ulster University, Belfast BT15 1ED, UK

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 6, 1-17

Abstract: An experiment was conducted to test the optical efficiency of the lenses of the Concentrating Photovoltaic Glazing (CoPVG) concept. The CoPVG is a seasonal glazing system consisting of longitudinal prismatic lenses. The lenses concentrate sunlight onto the focus where Photovoltaic (PV) cells are bonded, generating electricity while simultaneously preventing excessive glare indoors during summer. The system transmits sunlight for daylight purposes in winter. The experimental results were compared with an analytical model developed at Ulster University. Although there were discrepancies between the model and the experimental results, the model can still predict the optical performance of the lenses reliably, and can therefore still provide an overview of the concept’s optical performance. The model was then used to create a visual representation of the glazing’s annual optical performance, demonstrating how the glazing responds to changes in the sun’s position in the sky throughout the year. This analysis allows for balancing the need for natural lighting and energy generation, and so enables designers to evaluate annual optical performance of the CoPVG lens quickly and accurately. A case study of a building in Belfast is presented to demonstrate the application of the model. As an example, the results indicate that utilizing the lenses in glazing towards the south leads to a shift in its performance from room lighting to shading on 1st April, and vice versa on 15 September. The analyses also show that utilizing the CoPVG lenses can potentially enhance the electrical output power of the glazing ranging between 5% and 8% and from 46% up to 52% during winter and summer, respectively, compared with traditional Semi-Transparent Photovoltaic (STPV) glazing with the same opaque area percentage.

Keywords: concentrating; photovoltaic; glazing; optical efficiency; ray tracing; BIPV; STPV; CoPVG; multifunction facade; energy efficient facade (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/6/2891/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/6/2891/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:6:p:2891-:d:1103121

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().