Photovoltaic technology is among the best tools our civilization has to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gas that are currently altering the atmosphere composition of our planet. The idea of using photovoltaic surfaces on the envelope of buildings is called with the acronym of BIPV (building integrated photovoltaics), it offers the advantage of producing energy in the same location of the demand for electricity. Furthermore, BIPV allows to save monetary and environmental costs by substituting building materials with photovoltaic collectors. As every technology,BIPV follows an adoption pattern that is bringing it from a very limited niche product to a pervasive one. Nevertheless, the adoption rate of BIPV appears to be slow, and the industry has offered little opportunities of business for its stakeholders over the last 20 years. There are multiple reasons for this sluggish growth, and a considerable body of scientific literature has offered potential solutions to the problem. The building industry is notoriously slow in picking up innovation, furthermore the BIPV material needs to compete with much more mature, versatile and often cheaper cladding technologies and materials. Numerous research endeavors are focusing on the development of new BIPV claddings to have diversified colors, dimensions, shapes and other properties. The argument is that the technology is not mature and thus cannot be adopted by the bulk of architects and designers. Unfortunately, the premium characteristics of these new materials often come with a higher price and a reduced efficiency, thus reducing their market potential. Other research endeavors, among which this thesis, are focusing on the design of buildings: trying to include the use of photovoltaics into the architectural practice through education and software development. Numerous software has been developed over the last 20 years with the aim of calculating the productivity or the economic outlook of a BIPV system. The main difference between the existing software and the method presented here lies in the following fact: previously, the capacity and positions of a BIPV system are required as input for the calculation of performance, in this method the capacity and positions of the BIPV system are given as the output of an optimization process. A designer whois skeptical or disengaged about the use of BIPV could be induced to avoid its use entirely by the discouraging simulation results given by the lack of a techno-economic optimal configuration. Conversely, a designer who opt for a premium architectural PV material would, thank to the methodology shown, be able to assess the impact its unitary cost has on the optimal BIPV capacity of the building. Ultimately, the method presented provides new knowledge to the designer regarding the use of BIPV on his building, hopefully this can facilitate the spread of BIPV technology. The method described was translated into a software tool to find the best positions and number of PV surfaces over the envelope of the building and the best associated battery capacity. The tool is based on the combined use of ray-tracing (for irradiation calculation) and optimization algorithms, its use led to the following conclusions: • BIPV is profitable under a wide range of assumptions if installedin the correct capacities • 20% of the residential electric demand can easily be covered by PV without the need for electric storage and in a profitable way • Despite an interesting rate of return of the investment, the payback time was generally found to be long (over 10 years) • More research is needed to assess the risk on the investment on BIPV: if found to be low, future financial mechanisms could increase its spread despite the long payback time • The optimal capacity in energy terms (i.e. the energy consumed on-site minus the energy used to produce a BIPV system) tends to be far higher than any techno-economic optimum • The specific equivalent CO2 emissions for an NPV optimal system have been found to be between 70 and 123 [kg CO2 eq/MWh] under the range of assumptions applied • The installation of optimal BIPV capacity could change the overall residential CO2 emission of -12%, +13%, -29% in England, France and Greece respectively • despite the non optimal placement of a BIPV system compared to a ground mounted, south oriented one, and despite the noncontemporaneity of production and consumption, the BIPV still easily outperforms the energy mix of most countries when optimized for maximum NPV. • The part of the building envelope that have the most annual irradiation (i.e. the roof) should not necessarily host the entirety of the system as other facades might have an advantage in terms of matching production and consumption times. • when different scenarios are made in terms of techno-economic input parameters (e.g. degradation of the system, future costs of maintenance, future variation of electricity price etc..) larger capacities are optimal for optimistic outlooks and vice-versa • the optimal capacity for the expected scenario (i.e. the 50 % ile) can be considered robust as it performs close to the optimum in optimistic and pessimistic scenarios alike. • a reduction in price for the electric storage appears to have a positive effect on the optimal capacity of PV installed for the case study considered. • when a group of households is optimized separately V.S. aggregated together, the aggregation have a huge positive effect on all KPIs of the resulting system: in the NPV optimal system of a case study examined the installed capacity ( +118%), the NPV ( +262.2%) and the self-sufficiency( +51%) improved thanks to aggregation.

In the current global market, there are plenty solutions for the savings of energy in the different areas of consumption in buildings: Green roofs and walls, cool roofs, daylighting, motion sensors, and others but there are very few sources of renewable energy at the reach of a common person in residential (smaller) scale. Photovoltaic systems are the most well-know and reliable process of harvesting energy at this small scale. The relationship between energy demand and energy production when installing a photovoltaics system in a residence is one of the main drivers while making a decision at the time of purchasing a system. However, architectural decisions in early stages may influence, enhance or even decrease the possible energy generation and interior performance, thus influencing the possible return of investment. This study evaluates the possible architectural variations that may be beneficial or disadvantegous at a particular city and other circumstances. From, roof, angle, location, roof articulation, layout articulation , shading devices and others, this paper shows a spectrum of convenient and inconvenient projects due to current conditions like climate, solar radiation, typical construction, electricity rates and government incentives. As a conclusion a hierarchy of architectural elements when being used with photovoltaics is developed to demonstrate that a common user can strategically play with architectural features of his/her house to take the most out of the system.

Among technologies capable to produce electricity locally without contributing to GHG releases, building integrated PV systems (BIPV) could be major contributor. However, when exposed to intense solar radiation, the temperature of PV modules increase significantly, leading to a reduction in efficiency so that only about 14% of the incident radiation is converted into electrical energy. The high temperature also decrease the life of the modules, thereby making passive cooling of the PV components through natural convection a desirable and cost-effective means of overcoming both difficulties. An experimental investigation of heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of natural convection of air in vertical and inclined open-ended heated channels is therefore undertaken so as provide reliable information for the design of BIPV. Two experimental set ups were developed and used during the present investigations; one located at the CETHIL laboratory in Lyon, the F-device and the other located at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, the R-device. Both channels consisted of two wide parallel plates each of which could be subjected to controlled uniform or non-uniform heat fluxes. The investigation has been conducted by analyzing the mean wall temperatures, measured by thermocouples and mean velocity profiles and turbulent quantity distributions of the flow, measured with a PIV system. Flow patterns close to the heated faces were also investigated. The study is particularly focused on the transition region from laminar to turbulent flow. Three different heating geometric arrangements are examined in the modified Rayleigh number range from 3.86 x 105 to 6.22 x 106. The first is a vertical channel with one wall uniformly heated while the other was unheated, the second was a vertical channel in which both walls were non-uniformly heated and the third is an inclined channel uniformly heated from above. In the vertical configurations the width-to-height channel aspect ratio was fixed at 1:15 and in the inclined ones at 1:16. It is shown that the flow is very sensitivity to disturbances emanating from the ambient conditions. Moreover, the propagation of vortical structures and unsteadiness in the flow channel which are necessary to enhance heat transfer, occurred downstream of the mid-channel section at Ra* = 3.5 x 106 for uniformly and asymmetrically heated channels inclined between 60° and 90° to the horizontal. Indeed, these unsteady flow phenomena appears upstream the location of the inflexion point observed in the temperature excess distribution of the heated wall. In the case of non-uniform heating on both sides of the channel, a stronger 'disruption mechanism' exists, which leads to enhanced mixing and increased Reynolds stresses over most of the width of the channel. Empirical correlations of average Nusselt number as a function of modified Rayleigh number were obtained for each configuration.

The ongoing transformation of the energy system along a more sustainable trajectory requires advancements in a range of technological fields, as well as active involvement of different societal groups. Integration of photovoltaic (PV) systems in the built environment in particular is expected to play a crucial long-term role in the deployment of renewable energy technologies in urban areas, demanding the successful cooperation of planners, architects, engineers, scientists and users. The realisation of that technological change will require innovation at both an individual (within firms and organisations) and a collective (sector) level, giving rise to systemic approaches for its characterisation and analysis of its drivers. This study investigates the processes that either accelerate or hinder the development and diffusion of Building-Integrated PV (BIPV) applications into the market. Affected by developments in both the renewable energy and construction industries, the BIPV innovation system is a multi-sectoral case that has been explored only partially up to now. Acknowledging the fact that drivers of innovation span the globalised BIPV supply chain, this research adopts both an international and a national spatial perspective focusing on the UK. The analysis is based on a novel analytical framework which was developed in order to capture innovation dynamics at different levels, including technological advancements within firms, competition and synergy with other emerging and established innovation systems and pressures from the wider socio-economic configuration. This hybrid functional framework was conceived by combining elements from three academic strands: Technological Innovation Systems, the Multi-Level Perspective and Business Studies. The empirical research is based on various methods, including desktop research, semi-structured interviews and in-depth firm-level case studies. A thorough market assessment provides the techno-economic background for the research. The hybrid framework is used as a guide throughout the empirical investigation and is also implemented in the analytical part of the study to organise and interpret the findings, in order to assess the overall functionality of the innovation system. The analysis has underlined a range of processes that affect the development and diffusion of BIPV applications including inherent technological characteristics, societal factors and wider transitions within the energy and construction sectors. Future approaches for the assessment and governance of BIPV innovation will need to address its hybrid character and disruptiveness with regards to incumbent configurations, in order to appreciate its significance over the short and long term. Methodological and conceptual findings show that the combination of insights from different analytical perspectives offers a broader understanding of the processes affecting innovation dynamics in emerging technologies. Different approaches can be used in tandem to overcome methodological weaknesses, provide different analytical perspectives and assess the performance of complex innovation systems, which may span multiple countries and sectors. By better reflecting complexities, tensions and synergies, the framework developed here offers a promising way forward for the analysis of emerging sustainable technologies.

Exploratory research into a fresh concept, building integrated aquaculture, has found new information on the topic. Motives indicating building integrated aquaculture is important for sustainable development were identified. A review of the literature found relatively little in the way of experiments, aquaculture operations, and case studies which documented or demonstrated a deep understanding of the interactions between building and aquaculture systems. A simple experiment was conducted observing thermal energy and moisture interactions in simulated aquaculture facilities, some with tank covers and insulation. Two different retrofit programs were developed in a case study of building integrated aquaculture for an existing structure on the campus of the University of Massachusetts.

<p>Solar electricity is a promising energy technology for the future, and by using reflectors for concentrating solar radiation onto photovoltaic cells, the cost per produced kWh can be significantly reduced. The optical efficiency of a concentrating system determines the fraction of the incident energy that is transferred to the cells and depends on the optical properties of the system components. In this thesis, low-concentrating photovoltaic and photovoltaic-thermal systems with two-dimensional parabolic reflectors were studied and optimised, and a new biaxial model for the incidence angle dependence of the optical efficiency was proposed.</p><p>Concentration of light generally results in high cell temperatures, and the uneven irradiance distribution on cells with parabolic reflectors leads to high local currents and temperatures, which reduce fill-factor and voltage. Cooling the cells by means of water increases the voltage and makes it possible to utilize the thermal energy. The performance of a 4X concentrating photovoltaic-thermal system was evaluated. If operated at 50°C, this system would produce 250 kWh_electrical and 800 kWh_thermal per m² cell area and year. Optical performance can be increased by 20% by using better reflectors and anti-reflectance glazing.</p><p>Low-concentrating photovoltaic systems for façade-integration were studied and optimised for maximum annual electricity production. The optimisation was based on measured short-circuit currents versus solar altitude. Measurements were performed outdoors and in a solar simulator. It was found that the use of 3X parabolic reflectors increases the annual electricity production by more than 40%. High solar reflectance is crucial to system performance but by using a low-angle scattering reflector, the fill-factor and power are increased due to a more even irradiance on the modules.</p><p>Long-term system performance depends on the durability of the components. The optical properties and degradation of reflector materials were assessed using spectrophotometry, angular resolved scatterometry, Fresnel modelling, optical microscopy, and surface profilometry before and after ageing. The degradation of reflectors was found to be strongly dependent on material composition and environmental conditions. Back surface mirrors, all-metal reflectors, and polymer-metal laminates degraded in different ways, and therefore accelerated ageing must be tailored for testing of different types of reflector materials. However, new types of reflector laminates showed a potential for increasing the cost-effectiveness of low-concentrating solar energy systems.</p>

Solar electricity is a promising energy technology for the future, and by using reflectors for concentrating solar radiation onto photovoltaic cells, the cost per produced kWh can be significantly reduced. The optical efficiency of a concentrating system determines the fraction of the incident energy that is transferred to the cells and depends on the optical properties of the system components. In this thesis, low-concentrating photovoltaic and photovoltaic-thermal systems with two-dimensional parabolic reflectors were studied and optimised, and a new biaxial model for the incidence angle dependence of the optical efficiency was proposed. Concentration of light generally results in high cell temperatures, and the uneven irradiance distribution on cells with parabolic reflectors leads to high local currents and temperatures, which reduce fill-factor and voltage. Cooling the cells by means of water increases the voltage and makes it possible to utilize the thermal energy. The performance of a 4X concentrating photovoltaic-thermal system was evaluated. If operated at 50°C, this system would produce 250 kWhelectrical and 800 kWhthermal per m2 cell area and year. Optical performance can be increased by 20% by using better reflectors and anti-reflectance glazing. Low-concentrating photovoltaic systems for façade-integration were studied and optimised for maximum annual electricity production. The optimisation was based on measured short-circuit currents versus solar altitude. Measurements were performed outdoors and in a solar simulator. It was found that the use of 3X parabolic reflectors increases the annual electricity production by more than 40%. High solar reflectance is crucial to system performance but by using a low-angle scattering reflector, the fill-factor and power are increased due to a more even irradiance on the modules. Long-term system performance depends on the durability of the components. The optical properties and degradation of reflector materials were assessed using spectrophotometry, angular resolved scatterometry, Fresnel modelling, optical microscopy, and surface profilometry before and after ageing. The degradation of reflectors was found to be strongly dependent on material composition and environmental conditions. Back surface mirrors, all-metal reflectors, and polymer-metal laminates degraded in different ways, and therefore accelerated ageing must be tailored for testing of different types of reflector materials. However, new types of reflector laminates showed a potential for increasing the cost-effectiveness of low-concentrating solar energy systems.

Today, buildings utilize 40 % of the total energy consumption. New energyrestrictions and directives have entered the construction industry. Photovoltaic is asustainable, clean and quiet solution that integrates well in the urban environment buthave not yet reached a breakthrough on the Swedish market. The conditions for solarenergy production are often set in the early planning stages where they rarely arebeing prioritized.This master of engineering project focuses on identifying problems regardingimplementation of photovoltaic in city development projects and giving suggestions topossible improvements in the planning- and construction process. It also givesrecommendations on how the conditions for energy production can be optimized inthe early zoning stage.By conducting simulations with PVsystV5.21, on three ongoing city developmentprojects in Umeå, Malmö and Stockholm and by carry out and analyzing interviewswith city planners, constructors and architects, some conclusions have been made.Several improvements, both politically, with changes in the subsidization systemand/or instatement of a new law with feed-in tariffs, and within the solar- andconstruction industry itself, with better communication between different parts of theprocess as well as better use of experience, can be made. By including photovoltaic inthe local plan it is possible to give a region large areas with orientation toward south,increasing the solar energy potential with up to 50 % which also increase themotivation for implementing photovoltaic in the project. These are essential for asignificant increase of photovoltaic in city development.

The thesis attempts to investigate the issues pertaining to design, fabrication and application of real-time adaptive systems for building envelopes, and to answer questions raised by the idea of motion in architecture. The thesis uses the Solar Decathlon Competition as a platform to base all the research and consequently to verify their applications. Photo-voltaic (PV) panels and shading devices are two different components of Georgia Institute of Technology s the Solar Decathlon House, located above the roof, that are based on the concept of Homeostasis or self-regulated optimization. For the PV panels, the objective is to optimize energy production, by controlling their movement to track the changing position of Sun, whereas, the objective for the shading devices is to reduce heating or cooling loads by controlling the position of shading devices, thus controlling direct and diffused heat gains through the roof. To achieve this adaptive feature, it required three layers of operations. First was the design of the mechanics of movement, which tried to achieve the required motion for the PV panels and shading devices by using minimum components and parameters. Second was the design of the individual parts that are consistent with the overall concept of the House. And finally, the third layer is the design of controls that automates the motion of the PV panels and Shading Devices, using a set of sensors that actuate the attached motors. As a final product, there is an attempt to integrate the precision and material efficiency of digital fabrication with the self-regulated optimization of the roof components.

Σκοπός της παρούσας διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι μέσα από την πειραματική διαδικασία και την επεξεργασία των αποτελεσμάτων να μελετηθούν τα φωτοβολταϊκά πλαίσια τεχνολογίας λεπτών φιλμ (Thin Films Photovoltaics-TFPV) που υπάρχουν διαθέσιμα στο εργαστήριο Ασύρματης Τηλεπικοινωνίας του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών στο Τμήμα Ηλεκτρολόγων Μηχανικών και Τεχνολογίας Υπολογιστών και να εξαχθούν συμπεράσματα που θα οδηγήσουν στην κατανόηση της λειτουργίας τους. Η ανάλυσή τους θα διευκρινίσει την λειτουργία τους και σε πραγματικές εφαρμογές. Επιπλέον θα γίνει προσπάθεια πειραματικής εξομοίωσης συνθηκών δοκιμής στους 25οC υπό ηλιακή ακτινοβολία 1000 W/m2 τονίζοντας ότι οι κατασκευαστικές πληροφορίες σε αυτές τις συνθήκες είναι ενδεικτικές και δεν εκφράζουν την συμπεριφορά των πλαισίων σε πραγματικές συνθήκες λειτουργίας. Επίσης θα παρουσιαστεί η επίδραση της τοπικής σκίασης και της αύξησης της προσπίπτουσας ακτινοβολίας σε μέρος ή και σε ολόκληρο το πλαίσιο που προκαλείται από ανάκλαση με τη βοήθεια κατόπτρου. Ειδικότερα παρουσιάζεται η κατάσταση της ενεργειακής πραγματικότητας σήμερα, οι προβληματισμοί για το περιβάλλον, η στροφή στις Ανανεώσιμες Πηγές Ενέργειας και η σημαντικότητα της ενσωμάτωσης φωτοβολταϊκών στα κτήρια. Επίσης παρουσιάζεται η θεωρία της ηλιακής ενέργειας και των φωτοβολταϊκών συστημάτων με τα πλεονεκτήματα και μειονεκτήματά τους. Στην συνέχεια γίνεται αναφορά στη συνδεσιμότητα των φωτοβολταϊκών με την ΔΕΗ και στις ενεργειακές ανάγκες που μπορούν να καλύψουν σε μια κτηριακή εγκατάσταση. Αναλύονται τεχνικές λεπτομέρειες και χαρακτηριστικά μεγέθη των φωτοβολταϊκών στοιχείων καθώς και η εξέλιξη της φωτοβολταϊκής τεχνολογίας ξεκινώντας από το πυρίτιο και καταλήγοντας στα Λεπτά Φιλμ και σε ακόμα νεότερες τεχνολογίες. Στη συνέχεια γίνεται ανάλυση της τεχνολογίας των λεπτών φιλμ προσανατολισμένη στην ενσωμάτωση τους σαν δομικά υλικά σε κατασκευές (BIPV-Building Integrated Photovoltaics).Στην πειραματική διαδικασία επεξηγείται η λογική που ακολουθήθηκε, η πειραματική διάταξη και τα όργανα που χρησιμοποιήθηκαν. Μελετώνται επίσης οι φωτοβολταϊκές παράμετροι και αναλύονται τα πειραματικά δεδομένα. Η ανάλυση γίνεται ως προς την ακτινοβολία, την θερμοκρασία και την εποχή του έτους. Τέλος, τα αποτελέσματα της ανάλυσης, (μέσο ένος προγράμματος στην γλώσσα προγραμματισμού C++), δημιουργούν μια βάση δεδομένων προσπελάσιμη από τον χρήστη για την πρόβλεψη και εξομοίωση των πειραματικών αποτελεσμάτων σε οποιοδήποτε συνδυασμό θερμοκρασίας και ακτινοβολίας. / The purpose of this diploma thesis is to study thin film photovoltaic panels that are available in the wireless communication laboratory in the University of Patras in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Through the experimental process and processing its results our goal was to extract the conclusions that would lead us to a better understanding of their function. Their analysis will determine their usability in real outdoor PV systems. A simulation of the standard test conditions that are set in 250C temperature and 1000 W/m2 radiation is made, pointing out that this information is unable to indicate the actual function of the panels in outdoor conditions. The effects of partial shadowing and increased radiation with mirror system are also presented. More specifically, the energy reality, thoughts about the environment, the global turn towards the renewable energy sources and the significance of photovoltaic integration in buildings (BIPV- Building Integrated Photovoltaics) are mentioned. The theory of solar energy and photovoltaic technology including its advantages and disadvantages is analyzed. Grid-connected PV systems, their contribution in energy production in buildings and the potential of wide application of BIPV is presented. The advantages of thin film as BIPV materials are also mentioned. The experimental parameters, the logics followed in the set up process and the instruments used are part of the complete analysis of thin film parameters in relation to radiation, temperature and time of the year that the measurements occurred. Finally with a C++, a simulation program was created to predict the behavior of the thin film panels in outdoor conditions.