Optical Performance of Colored Crystalline Solar Cells for Building Energy Efficient Application

The optical properties of building materials belong to the features that are currently taken into account more frequently. There are various reasons for dealing with those parameters. Some of them aim to achieve specific parameters and performance while the others are trying to employ innovative materials applying recent nanotechnologies, whose the aspects are currently implemented to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. Current advanced materials research, development and manufacturing initiate a strategy on basis of the application of tools for optimizing and improving the efficiency of all existing elements and technologies. In the building science for the field of renewable resources, the issues of solar energy have also become of a crucial importance. Progressive involvement in this field is focused, among others, on the research, development and innovations of solar cells, collectors and various photovoltaic elements with interdisciplinary attributes of investigation. The paper is focused on a spectral laboratory analysis of colored solar cells in terms of their optical efficiency and represents an exploratory study. Both laboratory methods of spectrophotometry and infrared spectroscopy were used in order to analyze the solar reflectance and thermal emissivity parameters. Methodology for determining solar reflectance index was also applied to study its optical performance. The results present a spectral analysis for all specific regions, as well as its integrated values. The resulting comparison demonstrates the optical efficiency of the selected colored solar cells. Finally, the blue mono-crystalline solar cell indicates seemly applicable properties in the analyzed indicators related especially to the thermal aspects of building performance.