1. Thermoelectric analysis of different vacuum-based photovoltaic semitransparent skylights.
- Author
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Radwan, Ali, Olabi, Abdul Ghani, Abo-Khalil, Ahmed G., Yousef, Bashria A.A., Serageldin, Ahmed A., Maghrabie, Hussein M, and Abdelkareem, Mohammad Ali
- Subjects
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COMMERCIAL buildings , *BUILDING-integrated photovoltaic systems , *THERMAL insulation , *ELECTRIC power production , *SOLAR cells , *HEAT flux , *WIND speed - Abstract
• Three designs of photovoltaic-based skylights are proposed to save energy in buildings. • The integration of vacuum glazing with photovoltaic skylights is evaluated. • Using a vacuum layer at the backside of the PV layer is favorable for thermal insulation. • Using a vacuum-based PV skylight reduces the total U-value from 6.3 to 1.9 W/m2.K at ASTM. • Using the vacuum layer with the PV-skylight slightly decreases the power generation of the PV. In commercial buildings with large glazing facades, transparent facades and skylights play a considerable impact on energy consumption. In this study, three different photovoltaic (PV) -based skylights are compared to save energy in these buildings. The first skylight uses a vacuum glazing sample as a substrate at the backside of the PV layers. The second design integrates a vacuum glazing layer in front of the PV layers. And lastly, the PV layers are attached to a single layer of glazing with a solar cells covers 25% of the whole area. A 3D thermal model is developed and validated with data from the literature to compare these designs. it is concluded that using a vacuum layer at the backside of the PV layer is favorable for thermal insulation and attains relatively similar power generation to the case without a vacuum layer. In more detail, replacing the single glazing PV skylight with the first skylight design reduces the total U-value of the glazing from 6.3 to 1.9 W/m2.K for a glazing sample with an area of 0.4 m by 0.4 m at ASTM boundary conditions. Furthermore, at received solar irradiance of 1000 W/m2, an ambient temperature of 25 °C, and a wind speed of 1 m/s, replacing the third skylight design with the first skylight design slightly reduced the electricity generation from 37.4 W/m2 to 36.4 W/m2, significantly decreased the heat flux transfer from 91.1 W/m2 to 50.5 W/m2 and lowers the indoor surface temperature from 32.1 °C to 27.1 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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