Assessment of Electrical and Thermal Performance of Photovoltaic Thermal Air Collector in the Climate of Pantnagar, Uttarakhand

Abstract

The photovoltaic thermal collector (PVT) produces electricity and extracts heat from a common area exposed to solar radiation. The present work provides a methodology to assess the potential of PVT at any location. The climate of Pantnagar (a town situated in the Terai belt of Uttarakhand) is selected for the study. An unglazed PVT air heating collector is modelled, taking account of both electrical and thermal aspects of design. The performance of the collector is then simulated on four days, representing average weather of four seasons observed in North Indian Plains, in correspondence with the typical meteorological year (TMY) data of 2006-2015 for the location. The diode parameters and characteristic curves of PV module selected for PVT are obtained for reference and operating conditions. The operating temperature of solar cell and heated air are plotted after convergence of numerical solution at available data points. Finally, electrical and thermal power output of the PVT with associated optical and thermal losses are obtained. The highest electrical power output of 223 W (136 W/m2) is observed at 12:20 hours (IST) on equinox of September while highest thermal power output of 411 W (251 W/m2) is obtained at 12:20 hours (IST) on summer solstice.