Assessing the impact of partial shading on the performance of façade-integrated PVs

Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs) are considered to be an effective way to transition to a more sustainable energy generation and near-zero energy buildings (NZEBs). BIPVs have been studied already for a long time, yet their deployment is currently limited to few demonstration and concept projects. To make their acceptability and use more likely, the use of realistic, physical models within a simulation environment is necessary. Studying a wide variety of case studies is necessary to quantify the potential benefits of adopting BIPV in a project. In façade-integrated BIPVs, partial shading may occur more frequently than on a titled or horizontal roof installation; surrounding buildings and environmental elements might cast periodically their shadow on façade-integrated modules. The present work focuses on the partial shading and its effect on BIPV system performance. The work studies how the level of detail of the shading affects its estimated impact as well as the simulation computation cost. A vertical BIPV system is considered in this work. As anticipated, a high level of detail in the shading input will give the full extent of the impact on the performance but at increased simulation time. However, module-level maximum power point tracking (MPPT) can reduce the simulation time.status: publishe