Dynamic Simulation Model of an Air-Based BIPVT Roof Tile System

The application of building-integrated PV roof tiles on residential buildings is gaining increasing attention in recent years. Besides many advantages of these systems, they have one major disadvantage: compared to standard PV systems, there is a lack of rear ventilation and thus the temperature of the PV cells increases. This temperature increase leads to a reduction in the electrical performance and also the lifetime of the modules decreases. In order to reduce the PV cell temperature in such systems, a novel air-based building-integrated PV solar thermal roof tile with active rear ventilation is presented. The aim of this work is to develop and validate a dynamic simulation model for a novel air-based PV and solar thermal roof tile system. The model is developed in order to optimize and assess the overall annual energy yield under real operating conditions. Furthermore, the simulation model is validated by measured experimental data conducted on a test roof with the solar roof tiles under investigation in Cologne, Germany. The Root Mean Square Error of 15 days of validation in June shows a good agreement for outlet air and PV module temperature with 1.78 °C and 2.95 °C, respectively. Finally, time-series simulations are performed with the developed model and an optimized control strategy for a case study. In this case study the solar roof tile systems airduct outlet is coupled to an air-source heat pump. The simulation results reveal seasonal performance factor of 3.4 compared to a reference case with the ambient air inlet of 3.3. The presented model allows us to predict a realistic thermal energy yield of the solar roof tile under real operating conditions and thus assessment of the economic viability.