Abstract
Photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) collectors have gained a lot of attention in recent years due to their substantial advantages as compared to ST or PV systems alone and even to other non-solar technologies. However, PV/Ts are still not as popular in industry or construction and they are not even known to major players implementing solar energy installations. In this article, a general presentation of PV/Ts and a review of their applications are given. First, different heat extraction media (e.g., air, water, bi-fluid, etc.) and hybrid design configurations of hybrid PV/T collectors are addressed. Next, the main applications of PV/T collectors are discussed in order to highlight their feasibility and usefulness and to raise awareness for adoption in the industry and buildings sector. Applications include desalination, air-conditioning, drying, trigeneration, etc. This paper should be considered as a reference form of PV/Ts to extract key points for future research and development as well as for other applications.
Highlights
The standard of living has improved significantly, compared with a century ago and it has risen the global energy demand
Photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) technology uses solar energy and consists of a typical solar PV module, integrated with a solar thermal collector, which transfers the unused heat from PV module to heat transfer fluid
Lin et al [51] analyzed the performance of a PV/T system with phase change material (PCM) as a part of the ceiling insulation, in which the results showed that the proposed design can raise the indoor air temperature up to 23.1 ◦ C
Summary
The standard of living has improved significantly, compared with a century ago and it has risen the global energy demand. The material used for the production of PV cells is usually very sensitive to temperature and a rise in temperature makes PV cells less efficient [9] This working fluid extracts the waste heat and cools down the cell temperature which results in an enhanced PV performance. Solar farms: To maximize the efficiency of land use, PV/Ts can be used when heating/cooling is needed in the vicinity This may be the case for agroindustrial factories, The widespread of the PV/Ts in the future will increase significantly if we understand the potential of their applications in order to raise awareness. PV/Ts can be very profitable when simultaneous heat and electricity are needed [18] This is the case in houses and buildings and in some industrial processes such as desalination and drying which are intensive energy-consuming.
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