DEVELOPING A METHODOLOGY TOWARDS DESIGNING AESTHETICAL BIPV MODULES

Abstract

As building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) adoption increases, there is demand for new aesthetic designs that differ from conventional modules. Hence, this paper aims to design various Marble and Wood textures using Adobe Photoshop, and subsequently measure the electrical performance of the aesthetical BIPV modules. In total, 12 samples (6 Marble, 6 Wood) were fabricated using digital ceramic printing technology. The imaging software allows variation in each sample design parameters such as adjustments of background colours, line intensity, and addition of wood paneling. Subsequently, the modules with the Marble and Wood textures were characterised and benchmarked against the conventional module as a comparison. Results indicate that in general, Marble textures performed better with a Isc loss of between 28.4% to 30.2%, which was lower than Wood textures with a Isc loss of between 45.7% to 61.7%. In addition, Marble textures with grey background and Wood textures with lighter wood background showed the lowest Isc loss in their respective category. Furthermore, an investigation was conducted for different Wood patterns to determine whether the Wood patterns was a potential confounder in affecting the electrical performance. Results showed a negligible 0.1% difference between the Wood textures. Apart from Isc loss, the impact of design parameters on Voc and Pmpp values was also discussed in this dissertation. The results of this study could motivate similar research in designing aesthetical PV modules such as Marble and Wood, and documenting their PV module performance. These efforts would be instrumental in advancing BIPV adoption for sustainable cities.