Efficient DC-DC Converter design for DC Distribution in Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) Systems

 Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) Systems BIPV is the integration of photovoltaic (PV) cells into a building envelope, such as the roof or the façade. The façade may include windows, awnings, and outward-facing concrete. It differs from Building-Applied PV (BAPV) in that the PV is integrated during construction, rather than applied afterward. BIPV is seeing increased incorporation into the construction of new buildings as a principal or ancillary source of electrical power. Since BIPV modules are installed during, not after, the construction phase, BIPV systems have a profound impact compared to conventional BAPV on the electrical installation and construction planning of a building.

Methods of predicting the economic viability of BIPV systems in urban areas have already been developed. An analysis of buildings in Germany in a 2 km² urban area revealed that building façades provide almost triple the area of building roofs, and receive 41% of the total irradiation. It was found that 17% of all building surfaces analyzed were economically viable; i.e. 0.3 km² of surfaces could be exploitable for photovoltaic installations, corresponding to an installed capacity of 47 MW.

In an ever-expanding world with a growing interest in zero carbon-emission energy, it is now more important than ever to consider BIPV when designing new buildings. From 2020 on, the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) requires that all new buildings in the 28 member states are Near-Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB). The implementation of this 5 can be a combination of reducing energy usage in the building, as well as increasing energy generation on-site. One use case under the EPBD where BIPV would provide an excellent solution is skyscrapers. As they have relatively small footprints, there is extremely limited space for roof-mounted PV panels. This is where façade-integrated BIPV systems can provide an excellent solution during the building phase, as it is much easier to integrate BIPV modules into something like a skyscraper during construction than after it is already built.

Going one step further, we can reduce the energy usage of the building by adopting DC rather than conventional AC distribution. By doing this, both module-level and central converters within the system can be simplified, reducing costs and resulting in increased compactness, efficiency, and reliability.