Judge the insulation performance of photovoltaic panels

How does energy cost affect the insulation level of a PV system?

The 100 €/t increase in energy cost increased the optimal insulation level by a single increment at the time of installing PV. As example, the very high insulation was selected in the apartment complex building, the extra high insulation level (6.32 RSI, with 240 mm of insulation) in the multi-family and single-family prototypes.

Can combining insulation with PV reduce energy use in residential buildings?

We found combining appropriate insulation with PV can provide a cost-effective option to reduce net primary energy use in residential buildings. Savings from insulation alone varied from 3% (apartment complex) to 17% (single-family).

Should PV systems be installed with electrical storage and insulating roofs?

Results show that installing PV systems with electrical storage and insulating roofs in the refurbishment scenario provides a cost-effective way to improve the thermal performance, while covering a large portion (55–80%) of annual energy and electrical needs.

What is the optimal insulation level for re-roofing a PV system?

Starting with a low insulation level (0.8 W/m 2 K), the resulting optimal level was the very high case (0.2 W/m 2 K), both for the optimized insulation and the PV system with electrical storage. Tables 6 provide performance data at each insulation level in the refurbishment and the re-roof scenarios, considering or not the shading effect of PV.

Are energy savings from roof insulation and PV generation equivalent?

The authors recognise that energy savings deriving from roof insulation and those from PV generation are not equivalent due to timing. Insulation ensures uniform savings throughout the day, while savings deriving from PV depend on solar radiation and day-hour.

Does a combined roof insulation refurbishment with PV affect health and safety?

Our recommendations for combined roof insulation refurbishment with added PV also has large potential impacts on health and safety in existing apartment buildings during summer heat waves. Many flats in older apartment buildings with low levels of insulation in Europe lack cooling systems.