Effect of angle of incidence on the optical-electrical-thermal performance of photovoltaic insulated glass units

Photovoltaic insulated glass units (PV-IGUs) possess significant potential for achieving simultaneous power generation, thermal insulation, and natural lighting in buildings. However, the optical properties of PV-IGUs are influenced by real-time variations of the Angle of Incidence (AOI), thereby intricately impacting its optical-electrical-thermal performance. Therefore, an optical-electrical-thermal coupling model was developed to evaluate the impact of real-time AOI on the optical-electrical-thermal performance of cadmium telluride (CdTe) PV-IGUs. Through outdoor experiments, the model's accuracy was validated with acceptable errors between experimental and simulated data. After validation, the optical-electrical-thermal performance of PV-IGUs were analyzed under different operational conditions and AOIs. Results revealed that when AOI exceeds 45o, there is a reduction in absorptance up to 60.76% in terms of optical performance. Notable variations were observed across AOIs regarding thermal-electrical performance, with a maximum temperature difference of 16.08 °C for the PV cells and a maximum disparity in power generation of 140.51 Wh/m2 under solar radiation of 800W/m2. Additionally, an increase of AOI and decrease of photovoltaic coverage ratio (PVR) for PV-IGUs result in higher variation of the solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC), reaching up to 69.81% when PVR is 0.1. This study established a reliable foundation for accurately evaluating the performance of PV-IGUs.