Simulation of Hybrid Photovoltaic/Thermal Air Systems on Building Facades

The aim of this study is the simulation of a Photovoltaic Thermal (PV/T) Air system on the building facade in order to examine its characteristics and improve its output. Improved efficiency of such systems is achieved by the reduction of the Photovoltaic cell's temperature since the temperature of the cell is reversely proportional to its efficiency. The reduction of temperature can be achieved by placing a heat water or air recovering system, which may transport the heat inside the building for the indoor heating and/or water heating for domestic use. Furthermore, a simulation method of using the Photovoltaic/Thermal air system on the facade of a building complemented by conventional systems is developed, aiming at covering the needs for warm water usage as well as the indoor central heating and air-conditioning of a building. Finally, a theoretical application of these systems on various houses is studied in order to examine the benefits and the financial constraints of the application. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/). Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Euro-Mediterranean Institute for Sustainable Development (EUMISD)