Abstract
In recent years many Renewable Energy Sources (RES) power plants have been connected to power networks throughout Europe, in order to meet the EU's objectives for sustainable energy supply. As far as RES residential applications are concerned, the grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems constitute the most important representative of RES, because PVs can be easily installed even in densely built-up areas. In this context, small residential PV systems utilising Building Integrated PV (BIPV) modules are going to gain ground mainly at newly built or rebuilt building structures. That is because a BIPV module operates as a multi-functional building construction material; it generates energy and serves as part of the building envelope. This paper highlights the energy benefits of residential buildings in Southern Europe with Fibre Reinforced Composite BIPV modules under Net Metering Scheme and proposes suitable grid-connected PV inverter structures in case of BIPV systems with multiple orientation and inclination profiles.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 167-176 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Renewable Energy |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2019 |
Funding
By considering the aforementioned issues, this paper presents a novel type of Fibre Reinforced Composite (FRC) BIPV modules, that have been designed and manufactured in the framework of the “Building-integrated fibre reinforced solar technology” (BFIRST) project (Grant Agreement number 296016) [16]. The FRC-BIPVs are manufactured using a novel encapsulation technology, in which silicon solar cells are embedded in a transparent composite material. This material consists of transparent resin and glass fibers with coupled refractive indices, which reduces the internal reflections and light diffusion at the front side of the cells. The mechanical performance of the products was optimized through a reinforcement lay-out (number of fiber layers and fabric waving weight) together with thorough control of vacuum and temperature during the manufacturing process, including curing of the composite material. The resulting PV modules are monolithic, lightweight, while displaying the characteristic high mechanical strength of fibre-reinforced composite materials. They can also be curved and therefore different surface finishes are possible. Additional multifunctional properties can be achieved through surface coatings or bulk additives.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 296016. The authors are solely responsible for the content of this publication. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 296016 . The authors are solely responsible for the content of this publication.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| BFIRST | |
| Seventh Framework Programme | 296016 |
| Seventh Framework Programme |
Keywords
- BIPVs
- Inverters
- Net metering
- Photovoltaics
