Suitability of roof top photovoltaics RTPV and design of building integrated semitransparent photovoltaics BIPV STPV for building envelopes in a tropical climate city

Abstract

Use of Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic (RTPV)and Semitransparent Photovoltaic (STPV) for the facades is prescribed for cities and buildings to become Prosumers that is to become energy producers, apart from being energy consumers. This would help in reducing carbon emissions and subsequently in combating global climate change. It is a well-known fact that newlinemost of the energy regulations on buildings in India have made the on-site generation of electricity mandatory. In this context, this research aligns itself well by supporting this cause of tapping the huge solar energy potential that exists in urban areas of the country. In specific terms, the main objective of this research is to find the solar energy potential of the roofs and facades of typical urban blocks of residential, commercial, and industrial (IT) typologies in the chosen city of inquiry that is Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India. An attempt has also been made to generalize the results of this research to other cities in India. For this, newlinetypical hypothetical buildings in residential, commercial and industrial (IT) building typologies for representative cities of each of the climate zones in India are analyzed for RTPV rooftop potential and BIPV/STPV potential of the facades. The representative cities chosen are New Delhi for composite, Ahmedabad for hot and dry, Mumbai for warm-humid, and Bengaluru for temperate climates. When BIPV/STPV replaces the curtain-wall glazing, it affects the thermal and lighting performance of the building apart from being mere producers of electrical energy. This research, in addition to finding the solar potential of typical urban blocks, is aimed at finding the energy optimal BIPV/STPV design for curtain-wall façades for the climatic conditions of the city of inquiry as well as for the representative cities of each of the climate zones in India. newline newline