Performance assessment of cadmium telluride-based semi-transparent glazing for power saving in façade buildings

Façade buildings are generally highly glazed and energy-intensive especially in countries with hot weather. Power consumption in these buildings is even more significant when air conditioning (AC) is added to the figures. Building with semi-transparent photovoltaic (STPV) materials is bringing advantageous energy-saving features to these façade structures. Energy is saved by more heat being reflected resulting in less AC power consumption with the STPV thermal properties. In addition, the optical and electrical properties provide indoor sunlight with power generation. This paper investigates the net potential energy saving via applying cadmium telluride (CdTe) in Façade buildings. The analysis has been carried out using indoor and outdoor experiments considering different orientations and transparencies. Compared to a single glazing case as a reference, the application CdTe achieved a net energy saving to be as high as 20%. Furthermore, a trade-off between saving energy and environment comfort has been discussed as less transparency windows lead to more artificial light consumption. The findings indicate that STPV is a promising solution for sustainable buildings.