Design of Photovoltaic/Thermal Collectors with Thermal Storage and Batteries to Enhance Building Performance and Resilience in Cold Climate

This study consists of a sensitivity analysis of photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collectors, liquid thermal storage, and battery systems applied for the offices of a school building near Montreal, Canada to enhance building performance and resiliency to power outages during winter operation. The analysis was applied for 3 days in January with mixed solar conditions by varying the sizing of each of the components to achieve at least 8 h of self-sufficiency, the average length of power outages. It was found the optimal sizing for the studied system, while minimizing component costs, is to dimensions PV/T collectors to meet the base heating load, while maximizing thermal storage, and diminishing battery capacity to meet the base heat pump electricity consumption. For the case study, the optimal configuration was 27 PV/T, a 908 L thermal storage tank, and 10 kWh of battery capacity, to consistently achieve over 8 h of self-sufficiency in mixed sunny and cloudy winter conditions.