Influence of PV facade configuration on the energy demand and visual comfort in office buildings

On the road towards Low or Zero Energy Buildings (ZEB), both a reduction of energy demand and on-site electricity generation from renewable energy systems becomes necessary. Recently, Photovoltaics (PVs) have been widely used in modern buildings as part of the facade, mounted on the envelope or integrated as construction elements. This work investigates the effect of the PV facade configuration on the energy demand and visual comfort of an office building under the semi-continental climate conditions of Prague. Different BIPV systems are compared, focusing on the competing functions associated with the PV system in terms of electrical, thermal and daylighting performance.