Modeling and Design of Building-Integrated Photovoltaic/Thermal Systems with Embedded Thermal Storage
Notice bibliographique
Résumé
Hamidreza Zarrinkafsh, MSc. Concordia University 2025 This thesis presents a novel prefabricated modular building-integrated photovoltaic/thermal (BIPV/T) system design that integrates semi-transparent bi-facial photovoltaic (STPV) panels and thermal energy storage (TES) using ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) to enhance electrical, thermal, and architectural performance. It investigates the development, modeling, and experimental validation of this system to address the need for scalable, efficient, and resilient renewable energy solutions for building envelopes. A comprehensive literature review on various BIPV/T systems showed the necessity of enhanced air-based configurations that fulfill both mechanical and aesthetic requirements. In response, this research introduces three main innovations together: a prefabricated modular curtain wall concept, integration of STPV panels, and most importantly, the use of UHPC as an embedded thermal storage material. Among these, UHPC provides the greatest advancement by reducing outlet air temperature fluctuations, and making the building envelope more durable, and fire-resistant. A two-dimensional finite-difference numerical model was developed to simulate thermal behavior and predict system performance. This model was validated through experiments on a full-scale system tested in a controlled environmental chamber under extreme cold conditions (−15 °C and −25 °C) using a solar simulator with 800 W/m² irradiance. The system, designed with a curtain wall mounting system and frameless STPV panels. It was equipped with thermocouples, RTDs, and a data acquisition system to monitor temperature distribution. Uniformity and infrared imaging tests were conducted to confirm measurement reliability. The experimental results showed thermal efficiencies of 37% and 50%, with outlet air temperatures exceeding ambient conditions by over 20 °C, demonstrating effective heat storage of the UHPC thermal storage. The developed model predictions matched the experimental data, validating the simulation with a correlation coefficient of R² = 0.92. The validated model was used to perform sensitivity analyses on various parameters, including airflow rates within the cavity (0.6 and 1.0 m/s), cavity depths (3 and 4 cm), solar irradiance (200 and 800 W/m2), and system height (2 and 6 m), as well as the thermal conductivity of the concrete (1, 2, and 3 W/m·K) and its thickness (1 to 2.5 cm). The system performance was also assessed for a two-story façade configuration to predict the adequacy of the produced heat for integration with HP or domestic hot water applications under realistic conditions on one of the coldest days of the year in Montreal, Canada. Comparison of the system with and without UHPC panel on a two-story façade using real cold-climate data showed a 22.7% reduction in outlet temperature fluctuations and a ~5-hour delay in thermal response, confirming UHPC’s effectiveness as TES in cold climates. Since the system consistently maintained a temperature difference exceeding 20 °C even during the coldest week of the year, its temperature gain significantly reduces the heating load on HVAC systems and improves their operational efficiency. As a result, the system can contribute to peak load shaving and shifting, grid stability and reliability, and lowering overall building energy consumption and bills. Additionally, the passive preheating capability enhances indoor thermal comfort and supports resilient building operation during periods of extreme cold or power disruptions. This thesis makes several key contributions: (1) it introduces ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) as a novel thermal storage material in BIPV/T systems, an area previously underexplored in the literature; (2) it presents a validated experimental and numerical framework for evaluating thermal and electrical performance under real-world conditions; and (3) it demonstrates a modular, prefabricated STPV system compatible with existing curtain wall techniques. These contributions offer a scalable pathway for improving energy efficiency, occupant comfort, and renewable energy adoption in high-performance building design. In conclusion, this thesis presents a novel BIPV/T system with a validated model for the design of enhanced air-based BIPV/T systems integrating UHPC thermal storage, modular curtain wall assembly, and semi-transparent PV modules.
Récupéré en direct depuis OpenAlex et désinversé. Les résumés ne sont pas conservés dans cette base de données : les index inversés représentent 8,6 Go des 9,3 Go de texte de la base, et le serveur dispose de 13 Go libres.
Comment cette classification a été obtenuedéplier
Prédiction machine sur la base complète
Imitation des enseignantsNi prévalence calibrée, ni vérité terrain. Validation humaine à venir. Le volet Gemma est une étiquette directe du modèle pour chaque travail de la base, lue sur la notice réduite au titre. Le volet Codex est un classifieur appris des 10 348 étiquettes directes de Codex et calibré sur les taux pondérés de l'échantillon; les champs sans appui suffisant ne portent aucun appel Codex. Le mode candidate est l'union des deux volets; le consensus est leur intersection. Ces sorties portent le statut machine_predicted_unvalidated et ne sont pas des étiquettes humaines.
Scores du classifieur distillé par catégorie (deux têtes)
| Catégorie | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Métarecherche | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Méta-épidémiologie (sens strict) | 0,001 | 0,001 |
| Méta-épidémiologie (sens large) | 0,001 | 0,001 |
| Bibliométrie | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Études des sciences et des technologies | 0,001 | 0,000 |
| Communication savante | 0,001 | 0,001 |
| Science ouverte | 0,001 | 0,001 |
| Intégrité de la recherche | 0,001 | 0,001 |
| Charge utile insuffisante (le modèle a refusé de juger) | 0,003 | 0,001 |
Scores machine (provisoires)
Les deux têtes enseignantes du modèle étudiant, lues sur ce travail. Un score ordonne la base pour la relecture; il n'affirme jamais une catégorie, et le statut de validation accompagne chaque rangée tel quel.
Scores de référence d'un modèle non mature (critères de maturité non atteints, 7 itérations). Un score ordonne; il n'affirme jamais une catégorie.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · tel quel depuis la passe de notation : score_only signifie que le nombre peut ordonner les travaux, et qu'aucune étiquette de catégorie n'en découleClassification
machine, non validéePrédiction automatique; un appel candidat d’une seule source (Gemma direct ou Codex distillé), pas un consensus.
Le détail, modèle par modèle et score par score, se trouve en fin de page sous « Comment cette classification a été obtenue ».