BIPV Applications in the GCC Region: A Comparative Study on the Key Parameters

This paper presents a study of the effect of environmental parameters such as temperature and irradiance, and system parameters such as the angle of inclination on the energy yield of PV systems for building integrated PV (BIPV) applications in cities in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and other cities in the northern hemisphere. Several PV technologies are assessed to give an indication of which technologies would be suited for BIPV applications in which locations. It is seen that thin film solar cells would produce a better energy yield (kWh/kWp) in warm climates such as that of the GCC region while thin film and crystalline solar cells would perform equally well in colder climates further from the equator. Also, the energy yield for rooftop compared to facade BIPV installations would be much better for locations close to the equator while the energy yields for rooftop and facade BIPV applications would be almost the same for locations far from the equator.