Abstract
The hybrid photovoltaic/thermal solar collector has attracted research attention for more than five decades. Its capability to produce thermal energy simultaneously with electrical energy is considered attractive since it provides higher total efficiency than stand-alone photovoltaic or thermal systems separately. This paper describes theoretical and experimental studies of a finned single pass air-type photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar collector. The performance of the system is calculated based on one dimensional (1D) steady-state analysis using one dimensional energy balance equations, where simulation was carried out using MATLAB. Experiments were carried out to observe the performance of the solar collector under changes in air mass flow rate. Experimental values on photovoltaic panel temperature and air temperature on both air inlet and outlet, together with the ambient temperature and solar radiation were measured. The simulation results were validated against the results obtained from experiments using the error analysis method, Root Mean Square Error. At a solar irradiance level of 800 to 900 W/m2, the thermal efficiency increases to 20.32% while the electrical efficiency increases to 12.01% when the air mass flow rate increases from 0.00015 kg/s to 0.01 kg/s. The error analysis shows that both experimental and simulation results are in good agreement.
Highlights
The photovoltaic/thermal PV/T solar collector is a system of heat exchanger that is capable to harness electrical energy, and thermal energy from the solar radiation absorbed with no noise, pollution or moving parts
A PV/T solar collector integrating a PV module and a single pass air channel with a compact size design is discussed in this paper
The developed model was used to simulate the performance of the PV/T solar collector in MATLAB
Summary
The photovoltaic/thermal PV/T solar collector is a system of heat exchanger that is capable to harness electrical energy, and thermal energy from the solar radiation absorbed with no noise, pollution or moving parts. Solar energy could be produced more effectively compared to operating individually, as the simultaneous operation of PV and solar thermal collector offers higher solar conversion rates [2]. By combining both systems in the same frames and brackets, PV/T offers a smaller size collector that requires a smaller area and lower equipment cost than having two collectors with different systems [3]. The process of harnessing solar energy produces thermal energy, which increase the temperature of the solar cells.
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