Abstract
This study summarizes the performance of a photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system integrated with a glass-to-PV backsheet (PVF film-based backsheet) and glass-to-glass photovoltaic (PV) cells protections. A dual-fluid heat exchanger is used to cool the PV cells in which water and air are operated simultaneously. The proposed PV/T design brings about a higher electric output while producing sufficient thermal energy. A detailed numerical study was performed by calculating real-time heat transfer coefficients. Energy balance equations across the dual-fluid PV/T system were solved using an ordinary differential equation (ODE) solver in MATLAB software. The hourly and annual energy and exergy variations for both configurations were evaluated for Cheonan City, Korea. In the case of a PV/T system with a glass-to-glass configuration, a larger heat exchange area causes the extraction of extra solar heat from the PV cells and thus improving the overall efficiency of the energy transfer. Results depict that the annual electrical and total thermal efficiencies with a glass-to-glass configuration were found to be 14.31% and 52.22%, respectively, and with a glass-to-PV backsheet configuration, the aforementioned values reduced to 13.92% and 48.25%, respectively. It is also observed that, with the application of a dual-fluid heat exchanger, the temperature gradient across the PV panel is surprisingly reduced.
Highlights
The increasing demand for energy in day-to-day activities causes the excessive use of fossil fuels, which results in an increase in greenhouse gas emissions [1]
The generation of electricity and heat from renewable energy sources has dramatically increased in the last decade [2]
Due to the provision of dual-fluid coolant and glass-to-glass PV protection, additional solar heat from the PV module surface can be extracted, which will result in the lower temperature of the PV cells compared to the glass-to-PV backsheet based PV/T system
Summary
The increasing demand for energy in day-to-day activities causes the excessive use of fossil fuels, which results in an increase in greenhouse gas emissions [1]. They have considered various types of solar cells with different packing factors, based on the results it was concluded that decreasing the packing factor decreases the PV module temperature and increases the sunlight transmission through the non-packing area. Based on climatic data from three different locations, the exergy performance of the PV/T, PV, and solar thermal systems having similar collector areas were predicted and compared. Based on the literature review, it has been observed that several studies have been performed in the field of PV/T technology considering different aspects e.g., single- and dual-fluid channels for air circulation. Due to the provision of dual-fluid coolant and glass-to-glass PV protection, additional solar heat from the PV module surface can be extracted, which will result in the lower temperature of the PV cells compared to the glass-to-PV backsheet based PV/T system. It would be an excellent choice to provide energy for the building and industrial sector
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