Energy performance of a low-cost PhotoVoltaic/Thermal (PVT) collector with and without thermal insulation

Abstract

In this paper the performance analysis of a low cost/tech PhotoVoltaic/Thermal (PVT) solar collector is presented. The unit under investigation consists of a commercially available flat-plate hybrid unit, based on the use of a polycrystalline PV module and a roll-bond aluminium absorber. The unit is not equipped with any back/frame insulation and glass cover/air layer. A one-dimensional finite-volume model is developed in order to analyse the collector performance. The computational domain is discretized along the longitudinal flow direction of the collector, and mass and energy balance equations are used. This paper is based on a previous work, where the standard PVT collector configuration, without any back insulation, is experimentally and numerically analysed. Here, a possible integration of back insulation layer is analysed numerically considering different insulation materials and thicknesses. In particular, the available experimental data is used in order to simulate the operation of the collector with different back insulation configurations. A comparison between standard and insulated configurations is performed. The performance is also analysed along the discretization direction for all considered configurations. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed in order to compare the performance of the several collector configurations as a function of the main design/operation parameters.