Performance Analysis of the Photovoltaic/Thermal Collector (PV/T) System for Different Malaysian Climatic Conditions

Abstract

A new configuration of Photovoltaic/Thermal Collector (PV/T) system has been designed and proposed. The (PV/T) consists of certain layers which are the glass, air gap, PV panel, absorber plate and insulating material layer. In this paper, a glazed (PV/T) solar collector using the spiral flow design absorber has been studied under different Malaysian meteorological conditions. The Performance of outlet water temperature, thermal, electrical and combined (PV/T) efficiencies under two different Malaysian climatic conditions (sunny and cloudy) days have been evaluated. Based on the simulation results, the maximum hourly thermal efficiency of sunny day is 61.3%, while the maximum hourly thermal efficiency of cloudy day is 59.6%. The electrical efficiencies for typical sunny and cloudy days are 12.89%, 13.03%, respectively. The maximum hourly combined (PV/T) efficiency for typical sunny and cloudy days are 74.1% and 72.63%, respectively. As seen from the results, the proposed (PV/T) system design is applicable to be used under different Malaysian climate conditions.