Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Energies
Volume
14
Issue
13
Publisher
MDPI
School
School of Science / Graduate Research
RAS ID
36322
Funders
Edith Cowan University
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).
DOI
10.3390/en14133929
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