Building Integrated Photovoltaics in Hawaii: Testing Three Façade Schemes for Tropical Retrofit

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2015-05
Authors
Lau, Parker
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Rockwood, David
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Architecture
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It is forecasted the human population will increase by 33% by 2050 and 70% by 2100. With exponential population growth there exists a global energy demand to power the lives of humans and the cities they dwell in. To meet this need it is imperative that society curbs its greenhouse gas emissions and resource consumption; clean energy is greatly needed. This requires major innovations in building technology, energy efficiency, power savings, recycling and renewable energy generation. This is paramount to sustaining natural resources and the human condition for future generations to continue into perpetuity. However daunting, this crisis gives rise to critical opportunities in the area of architectural design and resource augmentation. This D.Arch dissertation presents a technological building solution through an intrinsic application of nature and energy: The Sun and its light. The design development of a Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) awning system digitally retrofitted on a high-rise building in downtown Honolulu, Hawai’i will be assessed based its energy savings and power utilization methods. Measurements of this system will be in examining a methodology, which focuses on the duality of its active (photovoltaic) energy generation merged with its passive (shading) energy qualities. Investigation will focus on how to consolidate a merger for increased power potential in electrical energy performance, on-site energy savings, and progressive architectural design. The project looks at ten BIPV iterations, which use energy and daylight simulations, to judge the designs’ form and function. This is done to achieve a 1- to-10 BIPV factor, which balances certain qualitative and quantitative outlines for final implementation. From the research, design, data collection and energy simulations, it was discovered that in implementing the preferred BIPV façade retrofit, in downtown Honolulu, produced power savings in the magnitude of 7.8%, generated over 404k kWh/year and established a payback period of 4 years. Not only can BIPV design implementations provide for efficient cost dynamics but can also extend into future energy production and saving benefits. These aspects are crucial in providing a template for potential PV ubiquity and adoption within the built environment for better resource utilization and energy recycling in the 21st century.
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207 pages
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