Question-and-Answer Resource for the Building Energy Modeling Community
Get started with the Help page
Ask Your Question

Revision history [back]

Modeling PV arrays in EnergyPlus is really a 3-step process:

  • Draw the geometry of the surface that contains the PV cells
  • Add a Generator:Photovoltaic object to the model. This object defines how the PV array generates electricity by referencing the PV surface and a performance efficiency object (next bullet point)
  • Add a PV performance object to the model (easiest is the Simple Approach). This object defines how efficient the PV array is at converting incident solar radiation into electricity

The Generator:Photovoltaic and PV performance objects do not have input fields related to transparency. However, it is possible to reference a Shading:Building:Detailed object for the PV array. This will be the easiest way to model semi-transparency, since the list of input fields for this object are short and one of them is Transparency Schedule, so you can model dynamic transparency throughout the simulation if you wanted.