Cosimulation of Integrated Organic Photovoltaic Glazing Systems Based on Functional Mock-Up Unit

Abstract

This study presents an approach to simulating building-integrated photovoltaic glazing systems composed of semitransparent organic photovoltaic (ST-OPV) elements. The approach consists of a mathematical cosimulation model based on the energy balance of complex glazing systems, considering heat transfer as conduction, mixed convection, and radiation effects. The cosimulation method is based on a functional mock-up unit (FMU) developed in Python and the building simulation program Domus. This work aims at presenting a cosimulation technique that can be easily applied to building energy simulation tools for the assessment of photovoltaic energy generation in glazing systems. The cosimulation glazing model was verified according to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 140-2011, and the zone temperature was kept within with a root medium square error (RMSE) of 1.45 °C. The simulated building with an ST-OPV system showed promising results and could be applied to near-zero energy buildings since each 6-m2 glazing has a power generation of around 77 W, equivalent to 9% of available solar resource.

Keywords

• building simulation
• integrated building systems
• photovoltaic glazing systems
• NZEB