Investigation on the electrical performance of a curved PV roof integrated with CIGS cells for traditional Chinese houses

Inspired by traditional Chinese architecture, a curved PV roof integrated with copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) cells is designed, which not only manifests Chinese aesthetic elements but also could generate electricity. Considering solar radiation distribution on curved PV cells different from that on traditional flat cells, this paper builds a radiation distribution model to calculate the radiation on the curved surface and an electrical model based on 5-parameter model to predict the power output of PV cells with different connections (independent output; in parallel; in series). An experimental rig was built, and the theoretical model was validated. Results showed that the CIGS cells on the west side of the curved surface performed better in electricity generation than the CIGS cells on the east side did; the CIGS cells in parallel generated more power than the cells in series did. The annual performance prediction shows that CIGS cells on the west side generate 155.18 kWh, which is 21.49% more than on the east side; CIGS cells in parallel generate 275.96 kWh, which is 12.56% more than the cells in series; The electrical generation of the curved PV roof is 7.41% less than the flat roof does. Parametric analysis is also conducted.