Practical application of building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system using transparent amorphous silicon thin-film PV module

An analysis has been carried out on the first practical application in Korea of the design and installation of building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) modules on the windows covering the front side of a building by using transparent thin-film amorphous silicon solar cells. This analysis was performed through long-term monitoring of performance for 2 years. Electrical energy generation per unit power output was estimated through the 2 year monitoring of an actual BIPV system, which were 48.4 kWh/kWp/month and 580.5 kWh/kWp/year, respectively, while the measured energy generation data in this study were almost half of that reported from the existing data which were derived by general amorphous thin-film solar cell application. The reason is that the azimuth of the tested BIPV system in this study was inclined to 50° in the southwest and moreover, the self-shade caused by the projected building mass resulted in the further reduction of energy generation efficiency. From simulating influencing factors such as azimuth and shading, the measured energy generation efficiency in the tested condition can be improved up to 47% by changing the building location in terms of azimuth and shading, thus allowing better solar radiation for the PV module. Thus, from the real application of the BIPV system, the installation of a PV module associated with azimuth and shading can be said to be the essentially influencing factors on PV performance, and both factors can be useful design parameters in order to optimize a PV system for an architectural BIPV application.