Electricity yield simulation for the building-integrated photovoltaic system installed in the main building roof of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE

The generated electricity of a rather complex building-integrated photovoltaic system, installed in the main building of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, is analyzed in detail. For this purpose, the measured irradiance on the tilted surface, the temperatures of the PV modules, the DC power and the AC power are compared with the results of an advanced electricity yield simulation program that has been developed at the institute. The chosen building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system allows detailed investigation of complex shading patterns, improved electrical cell connection and the temperature characteristics of building-integrated photovoltaic modules when they simultaneously function as insulating glazing units with a low U value. The comparison of simulated and measured AC power shows that the consequences of partial shading, the consequences of the integration as a thermally insulating component of the building envelope and the electrical properties of the PV system are understood well.