Investigation of production systems for a building integrated photovoltaic thermal product

A building integrated photovoltaic thermal (BIPVT) system based on long-run metal roofing is being developed at the University of Waikato in partnership with Dimond Ltd., a long-run roof product manufacturer. The concept consists of a CNC folded metal roofing sheet with a central channel and a collector plate bonded to the roofing sheet to create a sealed channel for thermal fluid flow. PV laminates are bonded to the collector plate and inlet and outlet manifolds attached for thermal fluid distribution. When exposed to solar radiation the system generates heat and electricity for domestic and industry use. BIPVT manufacturing methods were investigated for creating the sealed channel for thermal fluid flow. Adhesives (ADH), resistance seam welding (RSW) and autoclaving (ATC) were considered the most suitable. Processes were designed for the three methods and investigated through economic analysis. ATC was found to be the best for production volumes greater than 20,000 BIPVT panels per year as it has greater production capacity and lower capital investment payback time than ADH and RSW. ATC had a payback time of 0.26 years for 90,000 BIPVT panels per year at a 40% mark up. However ATC has several technical challenges that need to be overcome whereas ADH and RSW are proven production methods. ADH is more suitable for low production volumes below 20,000 panels per year as it has a low capital cost compared to RSW and ATC and can be readily optimised when increased production is required. Cost savings can be achieved by reducing material costs as they were 95% of the total operating costs for all methods. ADH and RSW could be readily optimised to increase production at lower capital expenditure by installing additional equipment at production bottlenecks rather than installing new production lines. ATC could not be as readily optimised as it has high production capacities. Installing a low volume BIPVT production facility into Dimond Ltd. could potentially generate an additional $3.5 million per year in profit, for a process that produces 7,680 panels a year. Payback time for the capital investment including a PV laminator would be just over half a year making BIPVT an attractive possibility

Development of a building integrated photovoltaic/thermal solar energy cogeneration system

Using renewable energy sources for onsite cogeneration from structural building elements is a relatively new concept and is gaining considerable interest. In this study the design, development, manufacturing and testing of a novel building integrated photovoltaic/thermal (BIPVT) solar energy cogeneration system is discussed. Adhesives (ADH), resistance seam welding (RSW) and autoclaving (ATC) were identified as the most appropriate for fabricating BIPVT roofing panels. Of these manufacturing methods ADH was found to be most suitable for low volume production systems due to its low capital cost.A prototype panel, fabricated using ADH methods, exhibited good thermal performance. It was also shown that BIPVT performance could be theoretically predicted using a one dimensional heat transfer model and showed excellent agreement with experimental data. The model was used to suggest further design improvements. Finally, a transient simulation of the BIPVT was performed in TRNSYS and is used to illustrate the benefits of the system.<br /

Roofing that generates electricity and heat

Integrating solar energy devices with building products is a rapidly growing market in the building industry. The aim is to make solar devices that integrate into a standard facade, window, roof tile, membrane roof or long run roof. These serve as weatherproofing for a building and also generate electrical and thermal energy.<br /

Investigation of production systems for a building integrated photovoltaic-thermal product

Integration of solar energy devices with building products is one of the fastest growing markets in the building industry. Building integrated products are multifunctional and fit into a standard façade or roofing structure. This paper discusses a building integrated photovoltaic thermal collector (BIPVT) capable of generating electrical and thermal energy. Different production methodologies for manufacturing of the BIPVT system are discussed. Prototypes were manufactured as per the researched production methodologies. The optimum production systems for manufacturing the building integrated system were selected from the economic analysis and performance of the manufactured prototypes