Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
308194 | Sustainable Cities and Society | 2011 | 8 Pages |
Photovoltaic systems are now widely used technologies that are utilised to enhance a building's energy performance. Among the photovoltaic cell types, semitransparent devices have recently found a broader field of application thanks to legislative actions that promote building integrated photovoltaic systems (BIPV).This paper presents a review of semitransparent photovoltaic devices and a case-study application, redefining an existing building envelope using a photovoltaic double-skin façade. The active and passive function of the new envelope, assisted by a mechanical ventilation system, allows the optimization of the energy demand.Results show consistent energy/environmental benefits achievable thanks to such system, and a preliminary economic analysis proves its sustainability.