Measurements of sound reduction properties of PV building elements for BIPV application

Photovoltaic modules for building integration (BIPV) - PV building elements - offer more functions than producing electricity only. The examination of these multifunctional properties of PV-building elements is the subject of the project MULTIELEMENT managed by the Fraunhofer IWES in cooperation with 14 industrial partners. Although architects need to know the characteristic noise reduction properties of a building element to fulfil the noise protection requirements for a building, little experience in sound reduction properties of PV building elements is available. Typically, the sound reduction index R in decibels (dB) is used as a characteristic. Conventionally, there is no information given in the data sheets of these PV modules or the values are taken from the corresponding glass-products. To get basic knowledge about the acoustic parameters of typical PV modules intended for BIPV and the influence of the typical components of a PV building element, measurements were carried out with various types of PV modules. This article presents the results and a range of characteristic values for the sound reduction properties of typical PV building elements.