Experimental Investigation of Water Cooled Solar Photovoltaic Thermal Collector

Abstract

With an increasing expected energy demand and current dominance of coal electrification world needs alternative sources which are abundant and ease of availability in nature such as Solar, wind, tidal etc., in which solar PV energy is one of the favorable energy sources. Various strategies are studied in this paper to improve the efficiency of solar PV modules. The efficiency of PV modules increases as the surface temperature of the modules is lowered using various cooling techniques. Experiments on solar PV modules with water circulation have been carried out, and the heat generated has been used for thermal applications. The reference panel was matched to an experimental observation for water circulation. It was observed that the water circulation system is 10.4 %, with a greater performance at 866 W/m2 solar radiation. Water is used as a cooling medium to extract heat from the PV panel. The project’s purpose is to improve the efficiency and power output of hybrid PVT(Photovoltaic Thermal Collectors)while also optimizing the design. The project’s purpose is to improve the efficiency and power output of the hybrid Photovoltaic Thermal Collectors(PVT) collector, as well as the power output of the PV panels. The tests are carried out with and without cooling on a 50W PV panel. The cooling of the PV panel is accomplished through forced and natural convection of water in the duct. The performances of forced and natural circulation are validated with the solar panels output power and efficiency.