Photovoltaic Thermal System Integrated with Roof and Hvac System: Energy Analysis

Buildings are one of major fossil fuel energy consumers contributing CO2 emissions into atmosphere significantly. On a doorstep of approaching energy crises, interest in solar energy systems is rising. Photovoltaic panels embodied into building envelope could replace traditional building materials generating heat and power simultaneously. Not much research has been done on developing design guidelines to optimize energy performance of PV/T system that utilize recovered heat linked to HVAC system. This book presents simulation and experimental study of 4 different open air loop PV/T roof systems and their interaction with air-water heat exchanger, water tank and rockbed. A custom made building energy simulation tool has been designed. to assure flexibility in simulation. Concordia award-winning solar house, built for purposes of U. S. Solar Decathlon Competition 2005, has been used as a case study. Correlations among key design parameters and energy outputs have been established providing guidelines for fast and practical calculations. The findings should put some light on this cutting-edge technology and be useful to engineers or anyone else interested in green building design.