Techno-economic performance analysis of the smart solar photovoltaic blinds considering the photovoltaic panel type and the solar tracking method

In urban areas with dense buildings, it is expected that the building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system, will become widespread. Especially, the solar photovoltaic blinds (SPB), which can block the sunlight coming into the room and produce electricity, is emerging as a new technology trend. To facilitate the installation of the SPB, this study analyzed the techno-economic performance of the smart SPB considering the PV panel type and solar tracking method used. Towards this end, this study conducted experiments using the developed smart SPB, as well as a comparative analysis in terms of the techno-economic aspects based on the experiment results. The analysis results of this study were as follows: at the same cost, (i) the monocrystalline silicon (mono-Si) PV panel generated 350.5% more electricity than the amorphous silicon (a-Si) PV panel; and (ii) the direct solar tracking system generated 12.9% more electricity than the indirect solar tracking method. Accordingly, the mono-Si PV panel and the direct solar tracking method were selected for the optimal smart SPB. The installation of the smart SPB with the proposed optimal design on the south-facing window of buildings can be helpful for raising the electricity self-sufficiency rate of buildings by up to 20.3%. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.