Semi Transparent Photovoltaic Windows

Costa Kapsis, Andreas K. Athienitis

Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University

BLDG 6731 BUILDING ILLUMINATION AND DAYLIGHTING

6th International
Building Physics
Conference

INTRODUCTION
By 2050, utility-scale systems & PV building systems
will each have roughly half of the global market.
(IEA, 2015)

BIPV is the fastest-growing segment of the solar industry &

it is expected to be the main technology to generate on-site
electricity in high performance buildings.
(Navigant, 2012)

The solar industry will be transformed from an investor-driven

market to a market driven by savings on the energy bill through
self-consumption in the building industry.
(EPIA, 2014)

SEMI-TRANSPARENT PV (STPV) WINDOW APPLICATIONS

New & Retrofitted

Commercial, institutional & high-rise residential buildings

SEMI-TRANSPARENT PV (STPV) WINDOW APPLICATIONS

Replace
Reflective/Tinted/Fritted windows
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SEMI-TRANSPARENT PV (STPV) WINDOW APPLICATIONS

Reduce cooling loads by regulating solar heat gains;

Reduce electric lighting through daylight provision;

Allow (full or partial) view to outdoors;

Solar energy generation.

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SEMI-TRANSPARENT PV (STPV) WINDOW APPLICATIONS

STPV faades & skylights tend to operate at higher temperatures than free-standing systems;

Heat absorbed from the STPV module leads to high temperatures often exceeding 70C;

High operating temperatures reduce PV electrical efficiency & lifespan.

SEMI-TRANSPARENT PV TECHNOLOGIES
Crystalline Si

Thin film Si-based

Thin film (others)

Mono-Si
Poly-Si
Bifacial-Si

a-Si/c-Si
a-Si/nc-Si

Organic
Perovskites

Rigid, opaque, spaced

cells

Rigid or flexible, seethrough films

Flexible, transparent,
colour-tunable films

Module efficiencies up
to 21.5%

Module efficiencies up to
9.0%

Under development

Efficiency decrease with

increase of cell
temperature (-0.50%/C)

Efficiency less sensitive

with increase of cell
temperature (-0.36%/C)

Efficiency increase with

increase of cell
temperature (+0.05%/C)

Lifespan more than 25

years

Lifespan more than 25

years

Lifespan up to 7 years

RESULTS: THREE-SECTION STPV FAADE CONFIGURATION

Faade configuration with Si-based spaced PV cells on the upper section and thin film PV on the middle
section of the faade has the potential to maximize daylight utilization and the view to the outdoors.

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RESULTS: DAYLIGHT GLARE PROBABILITY (DGP)

Despite the use of a roller shade, glare occurs during the fall/winter seasons when the solar altitude is low
and solar penetration depth is high;

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RESULTS: THERMAL RESPONSE OF STPV TECHNOLOGIES

Window U-value affects PV cell temperature (up to 10C);

Use of coloured or tinted glass (e.g. STPV backsheet, inner glass) results in PV cell overheating;

STPV module should be always the outermost layer of the window.

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