Objective
The aim of the project is to develop photovoltaic facade elements for buildings, which combine maximum energy efficiency with attractive appearance and flexibility in building design. A further objective is to develop a flush-mounting system with laminated backsheet, where no parts protrude from the surface. These facade elements will be developed in cooperation with an industrial designer in view of meeting the expectations of architects.
The project work will result in the development of:
- a DC/DC converter for individual photovoltaic facade elements
- a flush-mounting photovoltaic facade element with only one glass layer on the front, which will be easy to mount and allow for cooling by backventilation, thus increasing efficiency
The project partners intend to further develop the combination of both these technologies in view of entering the emerging photovoltaic facade market.
Technical Approach
Varying conditions of light, shade, and sun exposure result in variable energy outputs. Present solutions to this problem use parallel and series connections, where shade can interrupt the energy output of an entire row of photovoltaic cells. To avoid this effect, shadowed parts of facades often have normal panels, while panels exposed to the sun are photovoltaic. This results in heterogeneous facades and unattractive appearance.
In order to overcome these difficulties, a conversion device will be developed. This device will transform the voltage of photovoltaic sub-units, which may be of different size and have different voltage outputs, to a uniform voltage level of e.g. 200 V. This DC voltage will be connected to a common busbar. The busbar can then feed an energy grid using a single DC/AC converter. This solution will offer a greater efficiency and lower cost than the use of individual DC/AC converters for each module, which would also have to be phase and grid controlled.
The photovoltaic panels will be mounted with a flush-mounting system with laminated backsheet, which will be developed in a way to avoid any parts protruding from the surface. This prevents microshading and is in conformity with the architectural trend in mounting structural glass facades. It will also allow the combination with other materials such as natural stone elements, which normally use hidden mounting devices. The development of the flush mounting system and the integration of the elements in a facade will be assisted and coordinated by a known industrial designer.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology materials engineering amorphous solids amorphous semiconductors
- engineering and technology environmental engineering ecosystem-based management climatic change mitigation
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Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
66117 Saarbrücken
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.