Influence of active water stream, irradiance, ambient temperature and wind speed on the efficiency of Fresnel lens based two stage PVT system

Abstract

Influence of wind speed, mass-flow rate of water, irradiance, and ambient temperature on concentrated photovoltaic thermal module (PVT) equipped with linear Fresnel lens as primary optic element and convex lens as secondary optic element have been investigated in this study. Influence of these parameters on module performance in terms of thermal efficiency and electrical efficiency are also examined during investigation. The thermal efficiency and electrical efficiency without consideration of parameters was found to be 14.3% and 51.2%, respectively. With consideration of mentioned four parameters, the results reveal that electrical efficiency of 17.2% and thermal efficiency of 55.3% can be achieved for designed set-up. Thus, there is 20% and 8% increase in electrical efficiency and thermal efficiency, respectively. The electrical efficiency increases with increase in flluid-flow rate, wind speed, and irradiance. Electrical efficiency de-creases with increase in ambient temperature. The thermal efficiency increases with increment in water mass-flow rate, irradiance, and ambient temperature. However, with increase in wind speed, the thermal efficiency decreases.