Building-integrated photovoltaic systems (BIPV) enhance the energy balance of buildings, but a quantitative analysis of this improvement requires calculating the electricity yield from the BIPV system. This PhD thesis introduces a simulation program designed to calculate the electricity yield of BIPV systems, including those with complex geometries. The simulation employs a ray-tracing procedure combined with the I-V curves of electrically connected PV cells. To determine the annual electricity yield, multi-core cluster computers process 5-minute meteorological data over a year. The ray-tracing technique assesses inhomogeneous irradiation resulting from shading and reflections from surrounding objects, as well as the impact of ground reflections. PV cell temperatures are calculated by considering heat conduction, convection, and thermal radiation principles. The I-V curves are then derived based on temperature and irradiance. After virtually interconnecting the PV cells, the simulation accounts for inverter efficiency and its dependence on generator voltage, ultimately calculating the AC power output of the BIPV system. All simulation components are validated against measurements, with accuracy quantified using statistical measures. The program is subsequently applied to compute the electricity yield of two BIPV systems.
