Potential application of see-through solar cells in ventilated glazing in Hong Kong

This paper reports the findings on the energy performance of see-through PV glazing as applied to a typical open-plan office environment of Hong Kong. An experimental system was first set up and the measurements were used to verify the theoretical models developed via the ESP-r simulation platform. The validated models were subsequently used to evaluate the annual variations in thermal loads and electricity generation for two PV glazing systems as compared to the common absorptive glazing provisions. The results indicate that the innovative natural-ventilated PV double-glazing technology could significantly cut down the air-conditioning power consumption by 28%, as compared to the conventional single absorptive glazing system. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.