Energy analysis of an improved concept of integrated PV panels in an office building in central Greece

During the last decade, steel constructions with glazed façades became popular for commercial buildings in Greece. Moreover, expensive metal, natural stone, marble, ceramic, granite as well as special glass is employed for aesthetic and energy efficiency reasons. This creates opportunities for the introduction of Photovoltaic (PV) modules in double façades. PV modules on south-facing building walls are better placed at a distance from the wall to allow heat rejection and avoid overheating and efficiency loss. Exploiting the rejected heat of the PV modules is also a challenge. In this paper, we examine an improved concept of incorporating PV modules to the south façades of an office building, exploiting both the electricity produced and the heat rejected by the module, to increase building energy efficiency. The PV modules are integrated to the building wall by means of a double façade, which employs intervening ducts for ventilation purposes. The ducts are heating outdoor air, which is employed to cover the ventilation needs of the building, as well as a part of the heating loads. Simulations for typical winter and summer weather and solar insolation conditions are carried out to investigate the building’s energy performance improvements.