Experimental investigation of the temperature distribution in a BIPV façade

This study explores the thermal behavior of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) façades, focusing on the impact of different mounting configurations and colored interlayers. Two experimental setups are analyzed to investigate the operating temperatures of PV modules. The first setup consists of single-cell mini-modules including both colored and uncolored modules operating under ventilated and insulated conditions. The Sandia model is utilized to correlate cell temperatures and module backside temperatures, for which new empirical I-T coefficients are determined for the different configurations and colored interlayers. The second setup consists of a BIPV container with a south-facing 16-module BIPV curtain wall façade. The modules are mounted with different air gap sizes to examine the effects of rear ventilation on module temperature. The results highlight the significant impact of mounting design and display the complicated nature of temperature distribution of BIPV systems. This research aims to contribute to a broader understanding of the influence that BIPV system integration in architecture has on module operating temperatures.