Performance Assessments of Direct Contact Serpentine Tube Based Photovoltaic Thermal Module: An Experimental Comparison

Abstract

Solar energy is the most focused in the field of renewable energy. It is a clean, green, environmentally friendly energy source. One of the modern technologies utilized by researchers to investigate the wasted heat by the photovoltaic module is the photovoltaic thermal collector, which simultaneously provides thermal and electrical power for various engineering applications. This study presented a new configuration of a water-cooled photovoltaic thermal module that utilizes a copper serpentine tube attached directly using thermal silicon to the poly-crystalline PV module for water circulation. The created PV/T was well-insulated using fiber material, insulation cork, and Wooden parts. The water flow was circulated via a DC pump with low power consumption. The fabricated unit was compared to the standalone photovoltaic module for the performance evaluation. The main result showed a significant enhancement in the electrical productivity of the photovoltaic thermal module compared to the standalone unit. The cell temperature was reduced by 13.3% compared to the standalone photovoltaic module. Accordingly, the water-based PV/T module effectively eliminated the heat dissipated to the surrounding region by the PV module by using a serpentine tube, assuring sustainable contribution.