Design and optimization of a household photovoltaic/thermal collector with serpentine tube: Energy and exergy analysis

Abstract

Hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collectors that simultaneously generate electricity and heat have promise for sustainable energy production. However, their performance depends strongly on four key design parameters. These are: panel aspect ratio, serpentine tube pitch, solar intensity, and coolant flow rate. This study optimized these design parameters for a household serpentine-tube PV/T collector using energy and exergy analysis to enhance electrical and thermal efficiencies. Response surface methodology was employed to model the complex relationships between these parameters and the electrical and thermal efficiency responses. Increasing the panel aspect ratio from 0.125 to 8 resulted in 1.99 and 12.10 % improvements for electrical and thermal energy efficiencies along with 1.99 and 26.36 % improvements for electrical and thermal exergy efficiencies. Larger serpentine pitch from 80 to 400 mm decreased all four efficiencies. Higher radiation intensity from 200 to 1000 W/m2 reduced electrical efficiency by 8.36 % but increased thermal efficiency 75.33 %. Increasing the coolant flow rate from 0.1 to 1.4 L/min raised thermal and electrical efficiencies by 167.8 % and 12.4 %, respectively. Single-objective optimization yielded maximum electrical and thermal energy efficiencies of 11.8 % and 63.2 %, while multi-objective optimization gave lower responses. The study provides new insights into design trade-offs between electrical and thermal performance using comprehensive modeling and optimization. The model and methodology can guide significant PV/T design improvements.