Design, Manufacturing and Analysis of Aluminium-backed BIPV Facade Modules: Electrical Performance and Outdoor Tests

In driving the energy transition, the building sector plays a major role, with facades offering considerable but still underutilized potential for photovoltaic integration. Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) enable a dual use of facades as energy generators and building envelopes, while aluminium as a backing material provides robustness and architectural flexibility. However, vertical installation exposes modules to non-standard operating conditions, including variable irradiance, partial shading, and diverse orientations, which directly affect their energy yield. In this work, aluminium-backed BIPV facade modules were evaluated through laboratory characterisation and one year of outdoor monitoring in a multi-oriented test setup, enabling direct comparison of north-, east-, south-, and west-facing facades under real operating conditions. A systematic data filtering procedure was applied to ensure reliable analysis of electrical parameters, irradiance, and module temperatures, providing a robust basis for performance analysis for performance analysis of the aluminium-backed BIPV facade modules and for validating simulation models. The results highlight pronounced orientation-dependent behaviour: the south-facing facade achieved the highest yields, peaking around the equinoxes, while east and west reached roughly three-quarters and north about one-third of the south-facing output. Seasonal trends reflect the solar geometry, with east and west peaking around the summer solstice. Slight but consistent east–west differences were linked to temperature effects, as confirmed by measured module temperatures. Combining multiple orientations potentially smooth generation across the day, reduce summer midday peaks, and align output more closely with building demand.