Building Integrated Photovoltaic for Commercial Buildings Facades

Achieving net/near-zero energy buildings (NZEB) is one of the main goals in the building design and construction industry and is supported by many legislators. Many researchers strongly recommend integrated solutions, as they apply both environmental and technical approaches. Nowadays, especially with advances in computer technology, it is possible to integrate photovoltaic (PV) panel solutions into the building facade to create an innovative and adaptable assembly. Installing PV panels on the wall surface increases on-site renewable energy generation and reduces the building’s energy load by increasing surface reflectance. Although the PV panels’ efficiency will be reduced due to their vertical orientation, it remains an excellent strategy for improving building energy efficiency and achieving NZEB. This study aims to identify the potential for integrating PV panels with building facades. To achieve this, a cost–benefit analysis and energy simulation are performed to calculate the generated renewable energy, energy loads, cost of PV panel assembly, and its payback period. A commercial building model is designed in the DesignBuilder software and is located in Raleigh, NC (US Climate Zone 4). These simulation results are used to evaluate the impact of the proposed integrated assembly on building energy consumption and generation. The energy simulation results are incorporated into the cost–benefit analysis to determine the payback period for using PV panels on building facades.