TY - JOUR
T1 - Experimental energy performance assessment of a bifacial photovoltaic system and effect of cool roof coating
AU - Valencia-Caballero, Daniel
AU - Bouchakour, Salim
AU - Luna, Alvaro
AU - Garcia-Marco, Borja
AU - Huidobro, Ana
AU - Flores-Abascal, Iván
AU - Sanz, Asier
AU - Román, Eduardo
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s)
PY - 2023/12/1
Y1 - 2023/12/1
N2 - In the quest for high albedo materials that boost the energy production of bifacial photovoltaic systems, a range of material already exists for reducing building roof surface temperatures, called cool roof materials. However, there is a noticeable absence of scientific literature addressing the combination of cool roofs and bifacial photovoltaic systems. This study investigates the photovoltaic performance of a bifacial photovoltaic system with cool roof coating on the underside and its impact on floor temperature. For this purpose, four ∼1kWp prototypes were installed on the terrace of the GAIA building of the UPC near Barcelona, Spain: (1) bifacial panels above a cool roof, (2) bifacial panels above normal floor, (3) bifacial panels above a normal floor with n-type solar cells encapsulated in TPO, and (4) monofacial panels. The results reveal 8.6 % higher PV yield for bifacial with cool roof compared to monofacial, and 4–4.5 % higher for bifacial (normal floor) compared to monofacial. Additionally, the cool roof coating contributes to reducing the floor temperatures, particularly in the unshaded (exposed) areas during summer (−3.8 °C). The presence of photovoltaic panels has also demonstrated a positive impact on floor temperatures during both winter and summer. Thus, the cool roof coating offers two benefits: increased photovoltaic yield and reduced building cooling requirements, both of which are associated with economic advantages. The cool roof coating can be integrated into existing or new bifacial roof systems.
AB - In the quest for high albedo materials that boost the energy production of bifacial photovoltaic systems, a range of material already exists for reducing building roof surface temperatures, called cool roof materials. However, there is a noticeable absence of scientific literature addressing the combination of cool roofs and bifacial photovoltaic systems. This study investigates the photovoltaic performance of a bifacial photovoltaic system with cool roof coating on the underside and its impact on floor temperature. For this purpose, four ∼1kWp prototypes were installed on the terrace of the GAIA building of the UPC near Barcelona, Spain: (1) bifacial panels above a cool roof, (2) bifacial panels above normal floor, (3) bifacial panels above a normal floor with n-type solar cells encapsulated in TPO, and (4) monofacial panels. The results reveal 8.6 % higher PV yield for bifacial with cool roof compared to monofacial, and 4–4.5 % higher for bifacial (normal floor) compared to monofacial. Additionally, the cool roof coating contributes to reducing the floor temperatures, particularly in the unshaded (exposed) areas during summer (−3.8 °C). The presence of photovoltaic panels has also demonstrated a positive impact on floor temperatures during both winter and summer. Thus, the cool roof coating offers two benefits: increased photovoltaic yield and reduced building cooling requirements, both of which are associated with economic advantages. The cool roof coating can be integrated into existing or new bifacial roof systems.
KW - BAPV
KW - Bifacial PV
KW - Building energy performance
KW - Cool roof
KW - Photovoltaic
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85175717999&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jobe.2023.108009
DO - 10.1016/j.jobe.2023.108009
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85175717999
SN - 2352-7102
VL - 80
JO - Journal of Building Engineering
JF - Journal of Building Engineering
M1 - 108009
ER -
