Analysis of the Benefits of Photovoltaic in High Rise Commercial Buildings

Abstract

Energy efficient glazing is necessary to reduce heat gains or losses that contribute to the high-energy use of buildings. However, high-rise commercial buildings that use energy efficient glazing are still consumptive. To reduce their energy use further, recent studies have integrated photovoltaic glazed window systems into the building shell. To understand the relationship between photovoltaic windows, energy use and human satisfaction, this paper presents a study of the effects of photovoltaic glazed windows on the energy use of large commercial buildings and includes an assessment of the overall human satisfaction of the workers within photovoltaic glazed office spaces. A prototypical building was used to develop the base case simulations for the DOE-2 energy simulation program and the PV F-Chart photovoltaic analysis program. By substituting the appropriate variables in the base case simulation for each site, the building was simulated to evaluate the impact of the PV glazing on the building's heat loss/gain as well as the amount of electricity that could be expected from the PV. To test for human satisfaction, a survey was performed to assess the overall preference of the subjects to the office spaces using the photovoltaic glazed windows. Finally, an overall assessment of the economic and non-economic impacts is also discussed.