Sunshine for green energy
Besides commercial buildings, homes and schools account for another 30 % of total energy consumption making buildings responsible for about half of all energy demands. Enhancing the energy efficiency of buildings should considerably decrease carbon dioxide emissions associated with global climate change and enable significant cost benefits. A roof panel design developed with EU funding of the project 'Multifunctional PV/thermal/daylighting roof panels for atrium buildings and large green houses' (PV/T/D) could soon provide a novel solution. It enables harvesting of solar energy for electricity together with a combination of shading and heat removal via a hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system. Such PV/T systems convert solar radiation into thermal and electrical energy. The project technology exploits a panel containing compound parabolic concentrators. This concentrates the Sun’s energy, utilising a large portion to produce electricity and allowing the rest to transmit and provide daylight. A perforated plate heat exchanger removes rejected heat from the PV module and reduces heat transfer to the atrium, minimising summer over-heating. Simulations and modelling helped optimise configurations for temperature, heat flux and air flow. The team then manufactured and tested a small-scale prototype in both indoor and outdoor experiments. Together with economic and environmental analyses, researchers identified the environments and conditions in which the system will be most beneficial. Numerous large commercial buildings including offices and hotel have attractive atriums in their lobbies. Project outcomes demonstrate the promise of the combined PV/T/D technology in buildings with a focus on atriums. As such, it is no surprise that this technology is already attracting commercial interest. Getting an edge on world markets could have important impact on EU industry and the economy as well.
Keywords
Energy, buildings, roof panel, atrium, solar, photovoltaic, thermal, parabolic concentrator, simulation, modelling, prototype
