A hybrid solar chimney/photovoltaic thermal system for direct electric power production and water distillation

Abstract

In this work, modifications are made on the conventional solar chimney system in order to improve its economic viability. The two main modifications are the addition of a photovoltaic (PV) system to increase the system total electricity production, and the installation of water pool to cool the PV panels as well as to allow the system to generate freshwater. A mathematical model is developed to test the feasibility of both the conventional and modified systems. It is found that the total system utilization factor for the conventional system is 0.51%, while the utilization factor for the modified system is 4.37%. Parametric analysis is conducted to determine the variables that lead to the best utilization factor. The best results are achieved when the submerged PV panels are closer to the chimney. Furthermore, the performance of the system is tested, taking into account the weather data of a location in the country of Jordan. The results showed that the proposed system produces 45.35% more electricity annually than a standalone PV system installed in the same location. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis conducted shows that the chimney height is the most significant variable influences the system utilization factor. That is, the higher the chimney, the higher the utilization factor. Finally, the economic analysis concludes that the cost of freshwater produced by the system is 1.60 US$ per cubic meter, which is 46.3% cheaper than what is produced using other similar systems. Also, the economic indices of the proposed system show an improvement from that for the conventional solar chimney.