Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the performance of a novel encapsulated phase change material (PCM) photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system. A PCM, which has a high latent heat capacity, can absorb energy from a PV cell and reduce the operating temperature, improving both the electrical and thermal efficiencies of the panel. In this study, a computer model based on a PCM PV/T panel is developed, and its accuracy is verified using experimental data. The effect of the phase change temperature on the performance of the panel was analyzed by numerical simulation. When the phase change temperature was 30.1 °C, the system exhibited a maximum electrical efficiency of 8.2% and a thermal efficiency of 71.8%. When the phase change temperature was 20.24 °C, the system had a maximum exergy efficiency of 33.7%. In general, the temperature of the PCM integrated into the PV/T system should not be too high.
Highlights
With the rapid social and economic development, the consumption of energy is increasing worldwide
The equation for the solar energy absorbed by the PV cell can be given as: Gp = αp τbg Gbt + τdg Gdt + τ grg G grt where αp is the absorption factor of the PV cell to solar direct radiation; τbg, τdg and τ grg are the transmissivities of the glass cover to direct and scattered radiations and earth surface reflection, respectively
This study investigated a novel PV/T-phase change material (PCM) system using theoretical and experimental methods
Summary
With the rapid social and economic development, the consumption of energy is increasing worldwide. To achieve a higher electrical efficiency, PV panels need to be cooled down using some devices [2] To this end, a photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) technology has been developed to generate electricity, while storing the thermal energy, improving the solar energy capture. Serale [9] developed a physical–mathematical model for a solar collector with a slurry PCM; this helped increase the latent heat of the heat carrier fluid. Malvi [12] theoretically investigated a PV/T-PCM system and showed that the electrical efficiency of the PV/T panel increases with the decrease in the thermal efficiency. When the difference in the temperature at the inlet and outlet of the module is approximately 20 ◦ C, the electrical efficiency can be increased by 9% using a suitable PCM. The research results reported in this paper are expected to help accelerate the deployment of PV/T-PCM technologies, thereby contributing to global energy savings and reduction in the use of fossil fuels
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