Evaluating building integrated photovoltaic performance models

Predictive performance tools could accelerate the implementation of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) seeks to improve and validate previously developed computer simulation tools with experimental data collected in a building integrated photovoltaic "test bed." Twelve months of performance data has been collected for BIPV panels using four different cell technologies: crystalline, polycrystalline, silicon film, and triple-junction amorphous. Two panels using each cell technology were present, one without any insulation attached to its rear surface and one with insulation attached to its rear surface. Two predictive performance tools were investigated: IV Curve Tracer, a photovoltaic model developed by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and PHANTASM, a BIPV predictive tool developed by the Solar Energy Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin. The performance data associated with the eight panels in the BIPV "test bed", along with meteorological data, was compared to the predictions of the SNL and PHANTASM models.