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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/M16443/01
Title: IMPROVED SOLAR CELL PERFORMANCE IN BUILDING INTEGRATION
Principal Investigator: Eames, Professor PC
Other Investigators:
Norton, Professor B
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
BP
Department: Sch of Built Environment
Organisation: University of Ulster
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 01 January 1999 Ends: 30 September 2002 Value (£): 159,456
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Construction Energy
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
The effective prevention of high temperatures occuring at photovoltaics during operation allows significant gains in efficiency to be realised. An optimal mix of three identified temperature moderation methods i) reduction of non-utilisable radiation incident at the PV, ii)phase change materials to set a maximum working temperature limit and the period over which heat may be dissipated, and iii) enhanced heat transfer to reduce operating temperatures, will be identified for operating conditions and photovoltaic cladding system designs. Systems will be fabricated and experimentally characterised under controlled simulated solar conditions providing a detailed data set for the validation of enhanced exisiting in-house computer based models. A parametric analysis will be undertaken to determine optimal designs with regard to both delivered energy and cost for the UK climate. Panels will be fabricated and subsequently tested for durability and performance over a 15 month period. The potential gains in efficiency are large and for some installations may be in excess of 20$.
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Organisation Website: http://www.ulst.ac.uk