Experimental Assessment of the Energy Performance of a Double-Skin Semi-Transparent PV Window in the Hot-Summer and Cold-Winter Zone of China

The energy performance of the semi-transparent PV (STPV) window was carried out in a hot-summer and cold-winter zone of China. Semi-transparent PV (STPV) windows generate electric, reduce the heating load and aim to utilize daylighting efficiently. In order to analyze the energy performance of semi-transparent windows, a comparison test rig was set up which includes two test rooms of the same size. One room was installed with the STPV window and the other with a conventional window. The lighting, thermal, and electrical performance of STPV window was tested and compared with those of conventional window in the same ambient environment. It was observed that the maximum power generation of the STPV (a-SiGe) window was 33.3 W/m2 on a typical sunny day. Compared with the conventional windows, the average solar heat gain (SHGC) and Uvalue of STPV windows were 0.15 and 1.6, respectively, which is better than those of conventional window. On a sunny day, the Useful Daylighting Illuminance (UDI) of the test room was up to 52.2% better than the UDI of the conventional room. The results could support the application of photovoltaic technology in buildings in Southwest China.