A Round Robin Action within the IEA PVPS Task 15 Collaboration

This paper results from an on-going activity within the IEA PVPS Task 15 – Enabling Framework for the Acceleration of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV). It evaluates the performance of identical and commercially available glass/glass BIPV-elements installed in outdoor test sites at different climatic environments. These c-Si test-modules resemble those modules built in the facade of an existing reference building in Linz, Austria, and are mounted reproducing similar boundary conditions. The reference BIPV facade is currently under operation and has been monitored for more than 10 years. In total, the experiment involves 9 participants from 7 countries in Europe and Asia. Accorded monitoring method and constructive boundaries allow for the analysis of the influence of geographical and climatic conditions on the performance of the BIPV elements and can be related to the pre- and post-installation measurement results under STC conditions in a reference lab. From the experimental design of this work, it is possible to compare the performance results of a commercially available type of glass/glass BIPV elements installed in the facade of a building with those installed and monitored in outdoor-sites and measured under laboratory conditions. Furthermore, the reliability results under natural ageing conditions (high rise building with BIPV facade) are compared to those obtained after accelerated ageing in the laboratory. At this point, (incomplete) monitoring data of only six modules could be used for the first analysis. Thus, a detailed description of the the experimental design, the technical data of the laboratories, test sites and reference building and the current status of data analysis is presented.