Oppgavenr: BM6
Task 1 - BIPV Integration:
Experimental Laboratory Investigations of Building Integrated Photovoltaics with respect to Durability and Robustness
Kort beskrivelse av oppgaven:
The work will treat technical integration of photovoltaics in buildings. The research herein will target robust components and solutions that are easy to use. Solutions will be sought for challenges related to installation, maintenance and replacements, with Norwegian building code and in Norwegian climate conditions. A Nordic climate with repeated freezing and thawing of building materials and components may cause degradation due to frost weathering during water to ice volume expansion, both at a macro- and micro-scale. Testing and evaluations of new and existing products will be performed in laboratories at NTNU and SINTEF. The following work tasks will be essential: (i) Developing robust BIPV components and solutions, (ii) Accelerated ageing and durability testing in Nordic climate exposure, (iii) Testing and investigating the link between aesthetic quality and PV efficiency, and (iv) Environmental assessment and carbon footprint evaluations. The student may address several of the above aspects but not necessarily all of them. Nevertheless, for the student, there will be a focus on the experimental laboratory investigations of building integrated photovoltaics with respect to durability and robustness.
Task 2 - Plug-and-Play BIPV (PaP BIPV):
The Challenging Pathway towards True Plug-and-Play Building Integrated Photovoltaics
Kort beskrivelse av oppgaven:
The work will focus on developing plug-and-play building integrated photovoltaics (PaP BIPV). As of today, BIPV systems are designed as various foil, tile, module and solar cell glazing products which need to be pieced together in different, and often cumbersome, ways, with respect to both the main panels (e.g. tiles) and their electrical cable connectors. The electrical cables experiencing miscellaneous stresses during time often represent a weak point for the BIPV systems. Replacing single panels, e.g. when damaged, may be especially cumbersome and time-consuming, often involving the need for unfastening or removing several panels around the actual one. This latter aspect may also increase the risk of additional induced damages during the maintenance and repair operations. For future BIPV products one may envision robust and less labour-intensive plug-and-play systems. That is, one-click-on-and-off plug-and-play BIPV (OCOaO PaP BIPV) systems where individual panels (e.g. tiles) are clicked/snapped together in a single and simple operation ensuring both satisfactory electrical connections and weather tightness, and likewise when removing individual panels. If such PaP BIPV systems could be designed for a reasonable cost, they would definitely gain a competitive edge over today’s more traditional BIPV products, both for residential buildings and larger building complexes, and both for erection of new buildings and retrofitting of old ones. Hence, PaP BIVP could contribute to the acceleration of utilization of solar energy by solar cells on a worldwide scale.
Task 3 - BIPV Material Surface:
Advanced Materials Surface Development for Preventing Snow and Ice Formation on Building Integrated Photovoltaics
Kort beskrivelse av oppgaven:
The work will target the challenge of removing snow downfall and avoiding ice formation on photovoltaic (PV) roofs and walls in order to maximize solar energy efficiency, which is crucial for an efficient exploitation of the available solar energy, especially in order to achieve zero energy and zero emission buildings. Possible steps towards a working solution will be addressed, including different material surface solutions such as self-cleaning surfaces with origin in photocatalytic hydrophilic, superhydrophobic or ultrahydrophobic surfaces and coarse micro- or nanostructured surfaces. Snow accumulation will, in addition to decreased energy generation due to (partial) shading, lead to new strains on these parts of the roof, both with respect to building physics problems like moisture, freezing, thawing, etc., and with respect to structural building and roof properties. A main objective is to address the challenge with snow and ice formation on building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems to maximize the solar energy yields, with special emphasis on material development. Hence, there is an aim to remove the snow and ice, or rather inhibit the snow and ice from forming on the given surface, without consuming extra energy or extracting part of the solar energy which otherwise would have been exploited by the BIPV modules. When addressing the above challenges, the following work tasks will be essential: (i) Snow and ice influence on solar energy yields, (ii) Snow and ice impact on surface robustness and durability, and (iii) Advanced materials surface development. The student may address several of the above aspects but not necessarily all of them. Nevertheless, for the student, there will be a focus on the advanced materials surface development for preventing snow and ice formation on building integrated photovoltaics.
Kontaktperson ved IBM:
Bjørn Petter Jelle (NTNU), bjorn.petter.jelle@ntnu.no
Gabriele Lobaccaro (NTNU), gabriele.lobaccaro@ntnu.no
Bozena Hrynyszyn (NTNU), bozena.d.hrynyszyn@ntnu.no
Mattia Manni (NTNU), mattia.manni@ntnu.no
Andre kontaktpersoner:
Per-Olof Andersson Borrebæk (Isola), po.borrebak@isola.no
Other colleagues at NTNU and SINTEF.