AUTHOR=Wu Zhang , Chul-Soo Kim TITLE=A preliminary study understanding the possibility and benefits of solar photovoltaic collector integration with vertical green balconies in building facade reconstruction JOURNAL=Frontiers in Energy Research VOLUME=10 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/energy-research/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2022.1025564 DOI=10.3389/fenrg.2022.1025564 ISSN=2296-598X ABSTRACT=

The facades of buildings provide significant potential for photovoltaic panels integration, allowing renewable energy deployment within the built environment. In literature, various options, such as building-integrated photovoltaics, building-integrated photovoltaics-thermal collectors, building-attached photovoltaics, and rooftop photovoltaics, have already been explored. However, this study aimed to develop a new solar photovoltaic collectors’ integration with vertical-green balconies in old high-rise buildings considering the façade reconstruction concepts mainly focusing on the water heating application. The objective of this study is to conduct a preliminary research study investigating such integration possibilities with old buildings considering the façade reconstruction concepts, followed by exploring various benefits. For this, an old high-rise building was rebuilt scientifically and rationally. PHOENICS tool was used to gauge and assess the building’s wind environment first, followed by the solar photovoltaic collector-based facade installation and preliminary assessment. The results include the system design, economic analysis of the solar photovoltaic collector’s application for water heating, calculation of the energy-saving rate, and functional analysis of the solar photovoltaic collectors combined with a vertical green balcony. The outcome of this study suggested that the process-specific rationalization plan can be applied in future urban architecture renovation.