Abstract
Aesthetic appearance of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products, such as semi-transparent PV (STPV) glass, is crucial for their widespread adoption and contribution to the net-zero energy building (NZEB) goal. However, the visual distortion significantly limits the aesthetics of STPV glass. In this study, we investigate the distortion effect of transparent periodic-micropattern-based thin-film PV (PMPV) panels available in the market. To minimize the visual distortion of such PMPV glass panel types, we design and develop an aperiodic micropattern-based PV (APMP) glass that significantly reduces visual distortion. The developed APMP glass demonstrates a haze ratio of 3.7% compared to the 10.7% of PMPV glass. Furthermore, the developed AMPV glass shows an average visible transmittance (AVT) of 58.3% which is around 1.3 times higher than that of AMPV glass (43.8%). Finally, the measured CIELAB values (L* = 43.2, a* = −1.55, b* = −2.86.) indicate that our developed AMPV glass possesses excellent color neutrality, which makes them suitable for commercial applications. Based on the characterization results, this study will have a significant impact on the areas of smart window glasses that can play a vital role in developing a sustainable environment and enhancing the aesthetical appearance of net-zero energy buildings (NZEB).
Keywords
BIPV, Environmental safety, NZEB, Renewable energy, Semitransparent PV, Sustainable energy
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
2021
Volume
14
Issue
13
Publication Title
Energies
Publisher
MDPI
School
School of Science / Graduate Research
RAS ID
36322
Funders
Edith Cowan University
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Basher, M. K., Alam, M. N. E., & Alameh, K. (2021). Design, development, and characterization of low distortion advanced semitransparent photovoltaic glass for buildings applications. Energies, 14(13), article 3929. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14133929