Water liquid compatibility as a spectral splitting optical filtration fluid to six types of photovoltaic solar cells under high solar concentrations

Abstract

The spectral-splitting optical filtration (SSOF) technique has attracted a lot of attention as a solution to the unnecessary portion of solar irradiation that can be stored as heat in the cells of conventional photovoltaic (PV) and photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) systems. Transmitting the effective portion according to the SSOF fluid optical range and the spectral response of the integrated cell was the key solution proposed by this technique. The present study investigates the numerical feasibility of using liquid water, under six distinct solar concentration ratios, as a SSOF fluid for incident radiation on six types of PV cells with different spectral response ranges. For the 36 cases, the performance of PV and hybrid PV/T systems, represented as PV/Cooling fluid (PV/CF), with SSOF was evaluated and compared to their original performance without SSOF. In mid-July in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, the functionality of each system was determined by analyzing the generated electrical and thermal energy over the course of a full day. In addition, the electrical efficiency and average PV temperature of the systems were estimated. In terms of spectral compatibility, the water SSOF was more compatible with three PV cells, out of the examined cells. At specified solar concentrations, depending on the engaged PV cell, the results demonstrated that integrating SSOF into the conventional PV and hybrid PV/CF systems produced more electricity at reduced PV temperatures, compared to the corresponding conventional system. In addition, the functionality was extended to increased solar concentrations. Due to the discrepancy in their spectral responses, the electrical energy and efficiency outputs of each cell type varied. When conventional systems were combined with SSOF, the spectral transmittance range of the liquid and the distinct spectral response ranges of the cells increased the number of possible combinations. p-Si and CIGS cells performed comparably in standalone PV and hybrid PV/CF systems, while CIGS and Perovskite cells performed comparably with SSOF. The m-Si and p-Si cells provided the most electrical energy and efficiency, while the a-Si cells were the least efficient, which thereafter influenced the selection of the highly functional system suitable for the PV cell type. At 8.2 suns and above, the hybrid SSOF/PV/CF system had the highest overall energy output and electrical efficiency, for all the examined cells, due to enhanced cooling and reduced solar radiation exposure.