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In practical engineering applications, natural air cooling is often utilized for photovoltaic (PV) facades. However, the natural-air-cooling method is not effective at cooling PV wall panels, and the high temperatures accumulated on the surface of PV panels not only affect the electrical efficiency and service life of the PV modules, but also increase the energy consumption of the building. In this paper, we propose the vertical installation of heat dissipation fins in naturally ventilated PV wall panels. We used ANSYS Fluent to establish the simulation model of naturally ventilated PV wall panels and validate it. By simulating the air-cooled channels in PV wall panels with different sizing parameters, the temperature and flow rate variations were comparatively analyzed in order to optimize the air-cooled-channel sizes. The results show that installing the fins vertically in the air-cooled channel provided better cooling for the PV panels and enhanced the air heat collection effect. Additionally, it improved the airflow rate in the channel. As the thickness of the finned air-cooled channel increased or the width decreased, the temperature on the surface of the PV panels showed a decreasing trend. Compared to the flat-plate air-cooled channel, the finned air-cooled channel, with a thickness of 100 mm and a width of 20 mm, decreased the peak and average temperatures of the PV-panel surface by 3.9 °C and 8.1 °C, respectively, and increased the average temperature of the air at the outlet by 11.2 °C.

Photovoltaic (PV) wall panels are an integral part of Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) and have great potential for development. However, inadequate heat dissipation can reduce power generation efficiency. To reduce the temperature of photovoltaic wall panels and improve the photovoltaic conversion efficiency, this paper constructs a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical model of ventilated photovoltaic wall panels and verifies it, then simulates and analyzes the effects of three cavity structure forms on the thermal performance of photovoltaic wall panels and optimizes the dimensional parameters of the curved-ribbed cavity structure. The average surface temperatures of flat-plate, rectangular-ribbed, and arc-ribbed cavity structure PV wall panels were 59.42 °C, 57.56 °C, and 55.39 °C, respectively, under natural ventilation conditions. Among them, the arc-ribbed cavity structure PV wall panels have the best heat dissipation effect. Further studies have shown that the curvature, rib height, width, and spacing of the curved ribs significantly affect the heat dissipation performance of the photovoltaic panels. Compared to the flat-plate cavity structure, the parameter-optimized curved-rib cavity structure significantly reduces the average surface temperature of PV panels. As solar radiation intensity increases, the optimized structure’s heat dissipation effect strengthens, achieving a 6 °C temperature reduction at 1000 W/m2 solar radiation.

Photovoltaic (PV) panels play a pivotal role in advancing renewable energy adoption by offering a clean and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. However, elevated operating temperatures diminish PV cell performance, reducing energy output and accelerating material wear. This research evaluates the cooling efficiency of a PV panel equipped with a three‐dimensional oscillating heat pipe (3D‐OHP) integrated with hybrid nanofluids consisting of graphene oxide–copper oxide (GO–CuO), carbon nanotube–CuO (CNT–CuO), and multiwalled CNT–CuO (MWCNT–CuO). The OHP is charged with two concentrations of each nanofluid, specifically 0.1 and 0.2 g/L, to evaluate their impact on the thermal management of the PV panel. The study involved experimental tests using two PV panels: one equipped with a 3D‐OHP as the cooled panel and the other as a reference panel under identical environmental conditions. Hybrid nanofluids were prepared by dispersing nanoparticles in a base fluid, and their thermal properties were characterized prior to use. Energy and exergy analyses quantify the enhancements in thermal efficiency and the reduction in entropy generation. Experimental results reveal that CNT–CuO with a concentration of 0.2 g/L remarkably improves the electrical power output by 12.07%, outperforming other studied systems with the maximum exergy efficiency of 31.2%. The findings also highlight notable gains in first‐law efficiency. Furthermore, the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and levelized cost of storage (LCOS) are analyzed, demonstrating the economic feasibility of hybrid nanofluid‐based cooling for PV systems.

The plausibility of wall-mounting of photovoltaics in inaccessible or restricted rooftops to generate power necessitated this study. Meeting energy consumption demands is an infrastructural challenge in several developing economies. Power generation could leverage on the photoelectric effect from intense diffuse radiation and intermittent direct solar radiation abundantly available in tropical Africa, near the equator. A test-bed was developed and an investigation was conducted into the energy consumption needs of small and medium scale buildings; namely, offices and small homesteads. The prototype test-bed was found to provide all the power requirements of an average consumer utilizing less than 5000 Watts daily load from the Sun’s conventional daily migration from east to west. Increase in generated and consumed Wattage has been observed to increase with scalability of photovoltaics participating in the east, front and west wings of test-bed. The spatial analysis of the trajectory of solar energy for both directed and diffused intense solar radiation was also carried out in this work. The need of blocking power leaks to dormant photovoltaics due to conduction through less resistance pathway by active photovoltaics, via diode compensation or relay blocking was also discovered to increase the overall power generated that was available to the interconnected loads.

This paper investigates the energy performances of a hybrid system composed of a phase change materials-ventilated Trombe wall (PCMs-VTW) and a photovoltaic/thermal panel integrated with phase change material (PV/T-PCM). Equivalent overall output energy (QE) was proposed for energy performance evaluation regarding different energy forms, diversified conversions and hybrid thermal storages. This study focuses on parameters’ optimization of the PV/T-PCM system and parameters in the PCMs-VTW are kept optimal. Based on the experimentally validated numerical modelling, nine trial experiments have been conducted following Taguchi L9 (34) standard orthogonal array. The higher the better concept was implemented and the optimal combination of operating parameters was thereafter identified by using signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) method. The results show that QE is highly dependent on the mass flow rate, followed by the diameter of active cooling water pipe. However, the inlet cooling water temperature and the thickness of PCM have limited influence on QE. The optimal combination of each factor was identified as B3A3C2D1 (mass flow rate of 1 kg/s, diameter of water pipe of 0.6 m, inlet cooling water temperature of 15 °C and the thickness of PCM of 20 mm) with the highest QE of 20,700 kWh.

Driven by the scarcity of sufficient rooftop areas for PV installation in urban locations, this work assesses the performance and economic considerations of alternative vertical PV installations. A quantitative model-based analysis was conducted to estimate the percentage decrease in output of vertically installed PV modules. The results demonstrate that although vertical installations, driven by a shortage of rooftop space, do indeed result in reduced output, this decrease is deemed acceptable in many scenarios. For installations at high and medium latitude angles above 45°, vertical PV output reaches between 80 to 90% of that at the optimum tilt angle installation, and even surpasses horizontally installed panels for these latitudes. At latitudes between 25° and 45°, the vertical output ranges from 60 to 80% of the optimum, dropping to approximately 50% at latitudes within 20° of the equators. In all cases, the output loss can be easily offset with only a few percent additional cost associated with installing additional PV panels. Additionally, vertical systems collect less dust and require less cleaning. However, the complete system installation costs associated with vertical walls compared to rooftops are subject to specific circumstances and may still impede widespread adoption in some cases. It is expected that these costs will decrease through the implementation of innovations in this area. Examples of such innovations include PV-integrated glass windows and flexible PV panels. In conclusion, vertical wall-installed PV panels can indeed offer a viable alternative to rooftop installation in buildings with limited rooftop space.

This paper presents the design of a unit-type solar self-insulating composite exterior wall panel, which integrates a solar collector panel, photovoltaic (PV) panel, and insulation board into a single unit module. The research explores the utilization of an optimized solar collector panel to provide hot air indoors and proposes methods of application on facades. Using Fluent for simulation, it was found that on a sunny winter day, the thermal performance of the optimized solar collector panel increased by 94.68% compared to its pre-optimized state. A three-day experiment showed a maximum average temperature rise of 41.23 °C at the air outlet, close to the simulation. Finally, the energy efficiency and economic benefits of the study were calculated, which showed an energy saving rate of 65.47% for the composite exterior wall panels. This research provides ideas for solving the winter heating problem in cold regions’ buildings and the design application of self-insulating composite exterior wall panels in prefabricated buildings.

Türkiye’s earthquake zone, primarily located along the North Anatolian Fault, is one of the world’s most seismically active regions, frequently experiencing devastating earthquakes, such as the one in Hatay in 2023. Therefore, reconstructing energy-efficient buildings after major earthquakes enhances disaster resilience and promotes energy efficiency through retrofitting, renovation, or demolition and reconstruction. To this end, this study proposes implementing energy-efficient design solutions in dwelling units to minimize energy consumption in new buildings in Hatay, Southern Turkiye, an area affected by the 2023 earthquake. This research focused on a five-story residential building in the district of Kurtlusarımazı, incorporating small-scale Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) with thin-film photovoltaic (PV) panels, along with the application of a green wall surrounding the building. ANSYS Fluent v.R2 Software was used for a numerical investigation of the small-scale IceWind turbine, and DesignBuilder Software v.6.1.0.006 was employed to simulate the baseline model and three energy-efficient design strategies. The results demonstrated that small-scale VAWTs, PV panels, and the application of a green wall reduced overall energy use by 8.5%, 18%, and 4.1%, respectively. When all strategies were combined, total energy consumption was reduced by up to 28.5%. The results of this study could guide designers in constructing innovative energy-efficient buildings following extensive demolition such as during the 2023 earthquake in Hatay, Türkiye.

The airport industry is the world’s largest energy consumer, which negatively influences the environment. In this article, the research methodology is applied Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology in 3D simulation and energy analysis. This research aims to use BIM technology and its advantages in improving the sustainability of the building through the use of solar panels and adding different alternatives to the building to see the extent of their contribution to reducing the energy used and the percentage of emissions. The case study of this research was applied in one terminal of the Baghdad international airport. The researcher found that using BIM technology helps a lot in improving energy performance in various ways, improving the percentage of emissions, and controlling them during the design stage. The results concluded that applying BIM technology, use photovoltaic (PV) panels reduced annual energy consumption by around 45, 13, and 23% when operating in different places of the roof and achieves cost-saving about (258,601, 76,471, and 130,483 $/year, respectively, total electricity consumption equal to (4,466 MWh/year and annual fuel consumption are 9,472, 795 MJ/year) this results reduced by using different alternatives. The use of double glazing, foam material, and replacing part of the curtain wall with a block wall is the most effective alternative in improve energy saving and reduce CO2 emissions.

Enhancing the energy efficiency of building envelopes is one of the key strategies for energy conservation and reducing consumption in buildings. This study employs numerical research methods to explore the impact of crucial factors such as solar cell coverage, air channel height, indoor relative humidity, and indoor wind speed on the power generation performance and thermal comfort of a photovoltaic (PV)—Trombe wall. The dynamic changes in optical and thermal performance and energy efficiency matching mechanisms of this system are also discussed in hot summer and warm winter regions. The research findings indicate that the periods of good thermal comfort and power generation efficiency for humans are from 9:00 to 17:00 in winter. In summer, these periods are from 5:00 to 8:00 as well as from 17:00 to 20:00. When the system height is 2 m, the electricity price for power supplied by the PV—Trombe wall system is 25% lower than the residential price, with an annual energy generation of 322.5 kWh/m2 of solar panel, which can save USD 6.35 in costs. Moreover, an experiment is conducted to investigate the thermoelectric correlation by constructing a traditional Trombe wall and an external PV—Trombe wall. When the coverage reached 52.08%, the overall system efficiency was maximized. At a coverage of 78.12%, the system’s thermal efficiency was at its lowest, while the maximum power generation was 510.3 W. It can be seen that the PV—Trombe wall possesses good economic benefits and energy saving as well as emission reduction potential in hot summers and warm winters regions, and the smooth implementation of related works will effectively promote its applications and promotions.