Transparent wood integrated with transparent solar photovoltaic panels for enhanced building energy performance and economic benefits

In modern buildings located in cooling load-dominant climates, achieving low energy consumption while maintaining sufficient daylighting through skylights presents a significant challenge. This study focused on the novel attempts to integrate Transparent Wood (TW) with Transparent Solar Photovoltaic Module (TSPV), which allows for both electricity generation and reduction in thermal loads while maintaining transparency. In this experimental study, heat gain and illumination levels were measured within a small-scale building model that consists of skylight openings. The skylight materials evaluated included TW from balsa, poplar, pine, and bamboo, each integrated with Transparent Solar Photovoltaic (TSPV) systems exhibiting different transmittance levels of 0%, 20%, 40%, and 60%. A total of 21 samples were tested for heat gain and illuminance. Additionally, theoretical calculations were used to determine operational costs, cost savings and CO 2 emission mitigations. Results show that TSPV 1 (TSPV using TW of Balsa) provided the highest illuminance in all the levels of transparency, whereas TSPV 4 (TSPV using TW of Bamboo) provided more cost savings among the investigated glazings in 60% transperancy levels. The lowest annual heat gain in 60% transparency of TSPV 4 was 371.78 kWh/m 2 , and the operating cost was 8.50 $/m 2 /year, which resulted in savings of 34.09 $/m 2 /year (with power generation) and reduced carbon emission by 0.058 tCO 2 /year. The results indicate that this solution would be a viable replacement for skylight glazings that would generate electricity and regulate the amount of heat gain.