Abstract
Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) cladding is used to enhance the thermal performance of building envelopes, thereby reducing energy needed for heating and cooling. BIPV cladding functions both as a protective layer against direct sunlight during the summer and as a system to preheat the air during winter through a naturally ventilated setup. Numerous studies demonstrate the potential energy savings associated with a BIPV envelope system. However, most of them have been conducted in virtual environment, highlighting the need for more real-world validation. This work focuses on designing and implementing an experimental setup in real environmental conditions. The aim of this study is to introduce a novel model that enables accurate thermal assessment of heat transfer within air channel. Multiple experiments were conducted using the developed setup to monitor the system’s thermal parameters and behaviour under various outdoor conditions. The result shows naturally ventilated air channel with specific dimension can create sufficient temperature difference > 10 °C within the components of the structure, that results in the noticeable ‘solar chimney’ effect. In addition, naturally ventilated air channel cools the PV cladding, that reduces the drop in temperature dependent efficiency and facilitates higher electrical output. The experimental data estimates convective heat transfer coefficient inside the air channel and a new correlation of the Nusselt number with a high goodness of fit 0.96 has been proposed. This study lays the groundwork for a practical design of BIPV cladding systems, ensuring high accuracy in thermal estimation to achieve significant energy savings in buildings.