Twelfth International Conference on The Constructed Environment

Abstract

Achieving net/near-zero energy buildings (NZEB) is one of the main goals in the building design and construction industry and is supported by many legislators. Many researchers highly recommend integrated solutions since it applies both environmental and technical solutions. Nowadays, especially with computer technology, it is possible to integrate Photo Voltaic (PV) panel solutions into building façade for designing an innovative and adaptable facade. Installing PV panels on the wall surface increases onsite renewable energy generations and decreases building energy loads by increasing the surface reflectance. Although the PV panels’ efficiency will be reduced since they are installed vertically, it is still a great strategy for improving building energy efficiency and achieving NZEB. The goal of this study is to identify the Potential for integrating PV panels with building facades. To achieve this, a cost-benefit analysis and energy simulation is performed to calculate the generated renewable energy, energy loads, cost of PV panel assembly, and consequently its payback period. A commercial building model is designed in the DesignBuilder software and is located in Raleigh, NC (U.S. Climate Zone 4). These simulation results are used to evaluate the impact of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) facade on building energy consumption and generation. The cost-benefit analysis process considers the energy simulation results to find the payback period of using PV panels on building facades.