The influence of convection on the behaviour of a ventilated BIPV module: A sensitivity analysis

Abstract

Building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems are considered as a promising technology to achieve low energy buildings. Although a significant body of literature is available on BIPV modelling and validation, sensitivity analysis (SA) has not been extensively explored in a systematic way. SA provides insight on how the model responds to variations on its inputs, being thus an integral part of modelling approaches. In this paper, a variance-based SA is performed to identify the dominant parameters on the performance of ventilated facade-BIPV modules, evaluated in terms of power output and cell temperature. This work uses a multi-physics BIPV model previously validated with experimental data from two BIPV setups. Convective heat transfer coefficients (CHTCs) and parameters associated to ventilation are the inputs to the SA. Results show that the heat transfer to the exterior environment and to the cavity interior have the largest influence on both power and cell temperature. Furthermore, the effects of interactions among the inputs have been found to account for most of the output variability.