Concentrating and non-concentrating photovoltaic thermal collectors: Technologies, applications, exhaustive assessment and challenges

Abstract

Concentrating and non-concentrating hybrid solar collectors have drawn increasing interest thanks to their multiple advantages compared to the conventional counterparts, including the higher efficiency and dual production of thermal and electrical energies, alleviating energy security and environmental concerns. Consequently, their utilization has been explored for various applications. However, there is a scarcity of reviewed literature addressing the performance of concentrating and non-concentrating hybrid collectors-based systems from energy, exergy, economic, and environmental (4E) prospects. Therefore, a critical review of concentrating and non-concentrating hybrid solar collectors is conducted for revealing their potential in different applications, namely heating, cooling, desalination, drying, and poly-generation systems. The paper aims to highlight the energetic and exergetic performance, cost-effectiveness, and environmental impact of hybrid solar collectors' implementation through the main indicators of the 4E analysis. This review revealed that hybrid solar collectors possess an undeniable potential to cover a wide range of applications and alleviate the global warming impact linked mainly to the fossil energy systems' utilization. However, their energetic performance has to be further improved to achieve the competitiveness with fossil fuel-based systems. From exergetic perspective, the systems are still inefficient due to the high exergy destruction rate, especially for heating applications. Poly-generation systems appeared to be a cost-effective application of hybrid collectors' technology with a cost as low as $0.03/kWh. Accordingly, this work could serve as a guideline for research community and investors to get insights into hybrid collectors’ technologies and identify the research trend and challenges for improving the maturity level of these systems.