Comprehensive investigation on the luminous and energy-saving performance of the double-skin ventilated window integrated with CdTe cells

Abstract The PV double-skin windows, as an advancing BIPV technology, possess great potential in developing low-energy consumption buildings. However, the Semi-Transparent PV glasses change the indoor illuminance and spectral distribution. Therefore, quantifying the indoor luminous environment and comprehensively evaluating the luminous and energy-saving performance are of great significance to the promotion of PV double-skin windows. In this work, the thermal-electrical-daylight experiment of a double-skin ventilated window integrated with CdTe cells was conducted. Based on the measured spectral data of the CdTe glasses, the color properties and the daylighting performance were predicted. Then, the overall energy performance of the proposed window was simulated using the validated thermoelectric model. Finally, the comparison between the proposed window and some PV windows in the reported literature was performed. The main results were: (1) The SHGCs of the investigated window in winter and summer were 0.28 and 0.11, respectively. Its U-value and daylight factor were 2.05 W/m2K and 0.6%, respectively. (2) CdTe glass could improve indoor luminous performance and lead to a reduction of annual energy consumption. (3) Compared with the reported PV windows, the CdTe-DSV window could meet seasonal thermal demand while providing better color properties.