Smart windows for carbon neutral buildings. A Life Cycle approach

Abstract This study assesses the influence of photovoltachromic windows (PVCCs) on the Life Cycle Impact and Life Cycle Total Energy of office buildings. To this aim, two commercial buildings, having the same size and typology, only differing on glazing's technologies—PVCCs and commercial solar control glass panes integrated with photovoltaic (PV) panels—were compared. A full analysis was performed in three locations representative of as many climatic conditions (Aswan, Brindisi and London). The results obtained showed that the overall impact due to the production of a PVCC cell is considerably lower than the one of traditional technologies offering the same performances. Reductions of impacts spanning between 41% and 44% were obtained. Moreover, all impact categories benefited from smart windows' building integration in the operational phase, especially in the Mediterranean climate. If in Aswan the reduction of impact is mainly ascribable to energy demand for cooling, in cold climates savings in lighting energy dominate.