Abstract
Photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) solar panels are able to produce simultaneously electricity and thermal energy on the same panel. Its combination with phase change material (PCM) has been studied to enhance both thermal and electrical performance with promising results, but their long-term performance has been poorly analysed in literature. In this work we address the performance of a PVT field, composed by 20 plain PVT panels and 20 PVT panels with PCM inside, working in a real environment during 9 months. PVT operation is analysed with regard to the energy generation, operation mode of the installation and environmental conditions, with particular interest on the PCM influence. Field performance is also compared to panel yield obtained during lab testing. As an average, solar panels showed a thermal performance ranged between 18 and 25% for the plain PVT line and 22–30% for the PVT w/ PCM line, while electrical performance was kept between 14 and 16% for both lines. Results indicated that the inclusion of PCM lead to an improvement of 26% (thermal) and 3% (electrical) performance, with a more pronounced effect in summer than in winter. Despite the good results shown by PCM in terms of energy generation, some obstacles to their implementation in real installations have been encountered.
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