Dick Driel's Contact Details

Dick Driel's Company Details

Pholtaire BV

, , • 1 Employees
Semiconductors

The use of Photovoltaic (PV) technology on building facades and other vertical surfaces in the urban environment should play a significant role in the urban energy transition. Such an application can enable multi-story buildings to achieve the nearly zero-energy target (NZEB) in Europe. However, due to their installation nature, vertically mounted PV modules significantly underperform compared to conventional rooftop PV systems. In this project, we have developed a concept that consists of a hybrid enclosure of PV modular on a vertical structure that can be attached to a building facade or building structure with a higher potential energy yield. The basic idea is a PV-T module inside a transparent enclosure (like a vertical greenhouse) in order to capture the heat produced by PV. The heated air in front of the PV-T module creates a stack effect and can provide the building with natural/passive air ventilation. Additionally, cooling pipelines have been accommodated behind the PV module for better thermal management of the PV module and higher system efficiency. Our research findings show such a system can deliver an increased electrical energy production, water heating capabilities, and sufficient production of airflow for ventilation.Pholtaire is the name of the startup that, with the help of Delft Enterprises, will bring new solutions in this area to architects, project developers and other customers.