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Integration of BIPV in Dense Urban Settings on Building and Community Scale
Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are an important technology to maximize the local production of renewable electricity in buildings. Their implementation, however, creates challenges in architectural and technical integration. Their exposure raises aesthetic and constructive challenges for new buildings, while the potential for overproduction makes adequate energy management a priority.
The goal of this master thesis is an analysis of these issues both at the building and community scale. You will focus on the integration of BIPV for a case study of several buildings in Zurich. Tasks include (depending on the specific background and expertise of the candidate):
• comparing building demand patterns and production potentials
• analyzing self-consumption at the building and community scale
• modeling and optimization of network topologies and energy management strategies for solar-powered urban microgrids
• analyzing synergies with other technologies such as load shifting through thermal storage and electric vehicle charging
• developing novel architectural-constructive and planning concepts for BIPV
• analyzing module layout for different BIPV technologies at the building scale.
The work at the district scale will be carried out using the City Energy Analyst (CEA), an open source tool for the analysis of building energy demand and optimization of supply systems in urban districts ( https://cityenergyanalyst.com ). As part of the integration of BIPV with other energy infrastructure, the students will contribute code to model supply systems in the CEA. At the building scale, tools for module layout and optimization will be used.
We are looking for an engineering student with knowledge of numerical tools and coding (e.g. Python) and an architecture student with a structural background or knowledge in building system and solar technologies. Experience in energy system modeling is useful but not required. A willingness to learn to work with new tools is expected. Please send a summary of previous experience (e.g., B.S. thesis, project work, etc.) with your application.
The goal of this master thesis is an analysis of these issues both at the building and community scale. You will focus on the integration of BIPV for a case study of several buildings in Zurich. Tasks include (depending on the specific background and expertise of the candidate): • comparing building demand patterns and production potentials • analyzing self-consumption at the building and community scale • modeling and optimization of network topologies and energy management strategies for solar-powered urban microgrids • analyzing synergies with other technologies such as load shifting through thermal storage and electric vehicle charging • developing novel architectural-constructive and planning concepts for BIPV • analyzing module layout for different BIPV technologies at the building scale.
The work at the district scale will be carried out using the City Energy Analyst (CEA), an open source tool for the analysis of building energy demand and optimization of supply systems in urban districts ( https://cityenergyanalyst.com ). As part of the integration of BIPV with other energy infrastructure, the students will contribute code to model supply systems in the CEA. At the building scale, tools for module layout and optimization will be used.
We are looking for an engineering student with knowledge of numerical tools and coding (e.g. Python) and an architecture student with a structural background or knowledge in building system and solar technologies. Experience in energy system modeling is useful but not required. A willingness to learn to work with new tools is expected. Please send a summary of previous experience (e.g., B.S. thesis, project work, etc.) with your application.
The goal of this master thesis is the integration of BIPV for a case study of several buildings in Zurich on both building and community scale, including energy analysis with open source tools such as the City Energy Analyst.
The goal of this master thesis is the integration of BIPV for a case study of several buildings in Zurich on both building and community scale, including energy analysis with open source tools such as the City Energy Analyst.
Martín Mosteiro Romero: mosteiro@arch.ethz.ch,
Johannes Hofer: hofer@arch.ethz.ch
Martín Mosteiro Romero: mosteiro@arch.ethz.ch, Johannes Hofer: hofer@arch.ethz.ch