Numerical study on energy performance of sheet and tube type photovoltaic thermal solar system

Abstract

Increasing the temperature of the photovoltaic module causes a reduction in its electrical efficiency. Photovoltaic Thermal systems (PV-T) are used to minimize this undesirable effect by recovering residual energy. The heat extracted from the PV modules causes the cooling of the photovoltaic cells and stabilizes its performances. These systems produce both electricity and thermal energy at the same time. In this work, a photovoltaic/thermal sheet and tube collector has been numerically investigated. A mathematical model has been developed to determine the dynamic behavior of the collector. The heat transfer modeling is carried out in transient mode, on the basis of energy balance in the principal components of the collector (glazing, PV module, absorber plate, liquid circulation tubes, liquid and insulating). The model has been validated by comparing the obtained simulation results with experimental results available in literature, where good agreement has been noted. Using our developed model, the thermal and electrical behavior of sheet and tube collector has been analyzed. The effect of solar radiation, wind velocity, ambient temperature, the inlet water temperature and fluid flow rate has been involved to identify their influence on the thermal and electrical efficiencies. This model will be applied to optimize the performance of the hybrid systems under (PV-T) Moroccan meteorological conditions.