Integrability Comparison between BIPV and BAPV in Tropical Conditions: A Bangalore Case-study

Building Integrated/Applied Photovoltaic (BIPV/BAPV) technology is a unique building configuration integrating energy generation into a building's functional performance. BIPV comprises building envelope elements (wall, façade, fenestration) of PV while BAPV comprises PV applied on/in building elements. The uniqueness in this configuration lies in PV system design requiring maximum exposure to solar insolation, while building elements are designed to control and regulate solar exposure. PV performance is primarily governed by its output and efficiency, while building performance is primarily governed by its passive climatic-response, indoor thermal comfort and energy consumption. Integrability is a methodology evolved to aid in assessing a BIPV/BAPV configuration for its integrated building-PV performance. Tropical regions are gifted with ample sunny days, but due to the heat from the sun traditionally buildings have relied on high thermal-mass, shading devices and natural ventilation. However, with low-thermal mass in PV, its integration in buildings as BIPV results in high heat gain and loss, while integration as BAPV results in shading and altered building-heat transfer mechanisms. The current paper investigates the applicability of BIPV and BAPV, adopting the evolved integrability methodology, for tropical conditions, with Bangalore as case-study. Insights based on the study involving real-time measurements and simulation models have been presented in this paper.