COMPARATIVE EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF ELECTRICAL AND THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF SEMI-TRANSPARENT PHOTOVOLTAIC LIQUID FLOW WINDOWS IN COOLING CONDITIONS

Zhu Li; Wang Peng; Huo Yujiao

doi:10.19912/j.0254-0096.tynxb.2024-0227

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Acta Energiae Solaris Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (6) : 486-493. DOI: 10.19912/j.0254-0096.tynxb.2024-0227

COMPARATIVE EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF ELECTRICAL AND THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF SEMI-TRANSPARENT PHOTOVOLTAIC LIQUID FLOW WINDOWS IN COOLING CONDITIONS

Zhu Li^1,2, Wang Peng¹, Huo Yujiao^1,2

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Abstract

The electro-thermal performance of photovoltaic liquid-flow windows with different inclination angles （0°, 15°, and 30°） was experimentally evaluated in an outdoor setting under cooling circumstances. These windows are designed using a combination of semi-transparent solar modules and liquid-flow technology. Comparing the performance of the photovoltaic window with an air layer as a reference, we analyze the difference when the liquid flow input temperature is 25 ℃, and the flow rate is 0.4 L/min. The findings indicate that the thermal insulation performance of the photovoltaic liquid-flow window is much superior to that of the photovoltaic window with an air layer. When the solar irradiance on the surface of the photovoltaic window reaches 620-630 W/m² and the outdoor ambient temperature is 38-39 ℃, the average indoor surface temperatures of the photovoltaic liquid-flow window and the photovoltaic window with an air layer are respectively 9.5 ℃ lower and 1 ℃ higher than the outdoor ambient temperature. At different inclination angles, the heat flow density through the photovoltaic window with an air layer that enters the room directly is significantly higher. The disparity is most apparent when the inclination angle is set at 30°, the solar irradiance is between 640 and 650 W/m². The temperature difference between indoor and outdoor conditions is 9 to 10 ℃. The mean value of transient heat entering the indoor space directly through the photovoltaic window with an air layer is 9.5 W, which is about 33 times higher than that of the liquid-flow window. When the indoor space is being cooled, the working temperature of the photovoltaic window with an air layer is distributed between 24.9 and 27.3 ℃. When the temperature of the liquid inflow is about equal to the temperature of the municipal water supply, which is 25 ℃ in summer, it is not feasible to efficiently lower the temperature of the solar cells.

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photovoltaic power / windows / BIPV / thermal properties / photovoltaic liquid-flow windows / comparative experiments

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Zhu Li, Wang Peng, Huo Yujiao. COMPARATIVE EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF ELECTRICAL AND THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF SEMI-TRANSPARENT PHOTOVOLTAIC LIQUID FLOW WINDOWS IN COOLING CONDITIONS[J]. Acta Energiae Solaris Sinica. 2025, 46(6): 486-493 https://doi.org/10.19912/j.0254-0096.tynxb.2024-0227

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