A novel Building Integrated Concentrating Photovoltaic (BICPV) Smart Window has been designed and developed as a next generation intelligent window system. In response to climatic conditions, the smart window varies solar light transmission into the building for provision of light and heat with the reflection of light to the photovoltaic (PV) for electricity generation. This unique function is ...

In this paper, a full-color photovoltaic (PV) module, called the artist PV module, is developed by laser processes. A full-color image source is printed on the back of a protective glass using an inkjet printer, and a brightened grayscale mask is used to precisely define regions on the module where colors need to be revealed. Artist PV modules with 1.1 ˆ 1.4 m2 area have high a retaining power ...

Based on the I–V curves of a photovoltaic (PV) module, a novel and simple model is proposed in this paper to predict the PV module performance for engineering applications. Five parameters are introduced in this model to account for the complex dependence of the PV module performance upon solar-irradiance intensity and PV module temperature. Accordingly, the most important parameters, i.e. the ...

The Solar Photonic Optoelectronic Transformer (SPOT) is one of the components of the SolarBrane, a Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system developed by SolarEmpower Ltd. The SPOT employs 2-D linear dielectric totally internally reflecting concentrator (DTIRC) to increase the collection efficiency of the sun’s rays and reduce the amount of photovoltaic (PV) material used. In this paper, a...

Bulk-heterojunction organic photovoltaic (BHJ-OPV) technology promises high efficiency at ultralow cost and weight, with potential for nontraditional applications such as building-integrated photovoltaic (PV). There is a widespread presumption that the complexity of morphology makes carrier transport in OPV irreducibly complicated and, possibly, beyond predictive modeling. However, understandin...

Tinted and colour-neutral semitransparent organic photovoltaic elements are of interest for building-integrated applications in windows, on glass roofs or on facades. We demonstrate a semitransparent organic photovoltaic cell with a dry-laminated top electrode that achieves a uniform average visible transmittance of 51% and a power conversion efficiency of 3%. The photo-active material is based...