Investigative study on dual-faceted building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system considering cloud shadow effect

Incorporating photovoltaic modules into vertical walls, commonly referred to as the Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system, is an emerging approach to generating electricity from buildings. While BIPV technology has made progress, there is still room for design improvements to enhance the overall performance. Hence, this study utilized the matrix laboratory (MATLAB) simulation to perform a thorough analysis of the BIPV system, incorporating traditional rooftop-mounted, vertical, and the newly proposed "dual-faceted vertical system". The dual-faceted vertical system is made up of two modules set at angles of 23.50° and 63.75° in upward and downward positions instead of a single module. Nevertheless, the amount of building wall space covered by a single vertical BIPV module is almost the same in a dual-faceted vertical system. Furthermore, the influence of cloud shadows on the collection of solar energy by the BIPV systems has been considered for accurate modeling. The simulation outcome demonstrates that the dual-faceted modules on the south and north sides receive 74.05% and 36.969% additional solar energy, respectively, compared to the conventional methods. In addition, the dual-faceted approach receives approximately 54.88%, 45.89%, and 22.075% of extra solar energy during the summer, monsoon, and winter seasons, respectively. The observation also reveals that the dual-faceted vertical system produces more electrical energy than the conventional vertical BIPV system. If designed, positioned, and set correctly, the dual-faceted vertical BIPV system has the possibility to be a competitive alternative to the traditional BIPV system.