Conventional PV Panel Research Articles

Design and performance evaluation of Front glass-covered photovoltaics-thermal hybrid system for enhanced electrical output and hot water production

Proof of concept is established for the thermal management of PV modules for the simultaneous benefit of electrical and thermal efficiency. It was achieved by designing the controlled open-loop water-based hybrid PV-T system and demonstrated for thermal management of 150W photovoltaic panel at natural solar conditions. In this integrated front glass-covered PV-T hybrid (IFG-PV-T) system, the PV panel is clipped between the front glass and rear aluminium collector without causing any permanent changes in the existing panel. The flow of water from the source tank is controlled by automated solenoid valve assembly coupled with thermocouples. The solenoid operational temperature is fixed at 40°C to controlled the PV surface temperature at an optimum range to mitigate the adverse effect on voltage and current output. The water layer thickness in the front glass box is optimized to filter the maximum infrared radiations and the collector's toughened glass feature allows the maximum light transmittance with super safety. The performance of the IFG-PV-T system has been evaluated in terms of variation in open circuit voltage, short circuit current, maximum power output, electric and thermal efficiency under the natural solar insolation for a week. Experimental investigations revealed that the open-circuit voltage is increased by ∼16.1 % with IFG-PV-T as compared to conventional PV panel. The increment can be attributed to the synergy of the front glass collector and solenoid valve operation at 40oC that regulates PV surface temperature and boost the current output. These factors have ameliorated the electrical efficiency of IFG-PV-T compared to conventional PV panel. The average thermal efficiency was 39.4 ​% wherein the IFG-PV-T system provides ∼100 ​L of hot water (38–41 ​°C) per day. The present controlled loop operation system and collector configuration have proven their significance for electrical power increment and concomitantly able to deliver moderate hot water which can be useful for any household or commercial application.

Study on photovoltaic/thermal application for water desalination and electricity power generation using high thermal conducting materials

Our research focus is the enhancement of potable water yield and Output Power (PO) which is achieved through by means of adding three metals like Copper, Aluminium and Iron. The composition comprises of Aluminium-0.17 %, Copper-2.42 % and Iron-2.64 % in volume percentage. Because of the fact that the samples contain high thermalproperties such as thermalconductivity and thermalexpansion it stores heat as an energy and delivers it into the fluid. The daily yield of solar-still is about 1.5 times the conventional solar-still that is the yield is increased from 1.30Ltr on a day to 1.90Ltr. This states that by increasing the amount of heat stored and heat transferred one could make the standard PV/T into a more reliable and cost-efficient one. The power production in the proposed PV panel seems to be 5 % higher than that of conventional PV panels. The power output is evidently increased from 48.4 Watts to 49.9 Watts. The net-profit of water produced per day in proposed system is found to be in the range of (0.3960–0.4143) USD but conventional one is (0.2562–0.2732) USD. The payback period is found to be lower for proposed setup it is only (240.9–259.15) days which is very profitable than that of the conventional setup is (328.5–357.7) days of payback period.

Thermal management of PV panel through the circulation of a nano-MgO/water-based nanofluid

Since conventionalfossil fuels are used up at the extreme, alternate sustainable greenenergy sources become more popular for producing power. Among the most common ways to produce power is using solarPVtechnology. However, a s a result of overheating of the panels, the efficiency of PV panels drops during the hot sunny days all overthe year, owing tothe peak irradiance of thesun. Hence, solar PV’sefficiency may be increased throughthe right cooling system by reducing the PVtemperature. To alleviate the problems caused by the overheating of the solar panels, this currentstudy investigates the potential of using a nanofluid based on nano-MgO/water. The nanofluid has been synthesizedby dispersing MgOnanoparticlesat a concentration of 0.3% in thewater after distillation. After a whole dayof investigation, the temperature of the solar PVusing nano-MgO/waternanofluid had been noticed as 35 °C, in contrastthe temperature of the conventional PVpanel was found as 78 °C. In addition, the minimized temperature differences through the deployment of nano-MgO/waternanofluid also led to a 16.9% enhancementin overall electrical efficacy of the panel.

The Performance of SiO2 Nanofluid-based Split-frequency PV/T Energy

The efficiency of both solar photovoltaic and thermal power generation is relatively low, with the maximum panel temperature of conventional PV/T modules reaching 68.4 °C at noon, and the average electrical efficiency is only 12.98%. In this paper, the energy performance of a PV/T module based on SiO2 nanofluid was studied. Firstly, three different types of nanofluids, SiO2 nanofluid with a mass fraction of 0.3%, mass fraction of 0.5%, and mass fraction of 0.7%, were prepared and tested for their solar spectrum transmittance, and the results manifested that only the SiO2 nanofluid with 0.5% mass fraction exhibited strong absorption characteristics in the band after 400–1150 nm. Three liquid film thicknesses of 5 mm, 10 mm, and 15 mm, and three nanofluid mass fractions of 0.3%, 0.5%, and 0.7% were selected for the calculation of the spectral transmittance and the experiments on the thermal efficiency of the whole PV/T module. After conducting twenty-minute experimental tests on the power generation efficiency, thermal efficiency, and panel temperature of the flat panel, the results turned out the maximum efficiency reached 52.19%, which was found at a liquid film thickness of 10 mm and a nanofluid mass fraction of 0.7%, with a lower temperature of 40 °C, and an average of 10 °C lower than conventional PV panels.

Adaptation of the Solar Spectrum to Improve the use of Sunlight: A Critical Review on Techniques, Applications, and Current Trends

AbstractPhotovoltaic (PV) cells are one of the most common devices to harvest solar radiation and convert it into usable electrical power. However, normal silicone‐based photovoltaic cells work best within the visible light region. Conventional PV panels can use 15–30% of the total energy received, while the remainder is reflected or converted into waste heat. Not only do other wavelengths have lower conversion efficiencies, but they may also increase the cell surface temperature and decrease its overall efficiency. To solve this problem, spectral beam splitting is a potential approach for converting solar energy efficiently. Even though spectral‐splitting systems have high theoretical conversion efficiencies, they have not yet reached the commercial level. The current study describes the advancements in beam‐splitting systems based on thermal PV cells, multijunction cells, nano‐film, conventional, and nanofluids over the last decade. The mechanisms of various splitting system techniques and several hybrid applications are thoroughly discussed in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of solar energy utilization and the considerations influencing system efficiency. Even though the cost increase can be offset by the increased energy conversion efficiency and controlled wavelengths, the system's stability must be addressed for future practical applications.

Thermodynamic Optimization of Electrical and Thermal Energy Production of PV Panels and Potential for Valorization of the PV Low-Grade Thermal Energy into Cold

In the present study, the evaluation of potential improvement of the overall efficiency of a common PV panel, valorizing the heat extracted by a heat exchanger that is integrated on its back side, either into work using an endoreversible Carnot engine or into cold by using an endoreversible tri-thermal machine consisting of a heat-driven refrigeration machine operating between three temperature sources and sink (such as a liquid/gas absorption machine), was carried out. A simplified thermodynamic analysis of the PV/thermal collector shows that there are two optimal operating temperatures T˜h and Th* of the panels, which maximize either the thermal exergy or the overall exergy of the PV panel, respectively. The cold produced by the endoreversible tri-thermal machine during the operating conditions of the PV/thermal collector at T˜h is higher with a coefficient of performance (COP) of 0.24 thanks to the higher heat recovery potential. In the case of using the cold produced by a tri-thermal machine to actively cool of an additional PV panel in order to increase its electrical performances, the operating conditions at the optimal temperature Th* provide a larger and more stable gain: the gain is about 12.2% compared with the conventional PV panel when the operating temperature of the second cooled panel varies from 15 to 35 °C.

Optimization of a novel Hybrid Wind Bio Battery Solar Photovoltaic System Integrated with Phase Change Material

The intermittent nature of renewable sources, such as solar and wind, leads to the need for a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) that can provide uninterrupted and reliable energy to a remote and off-grid location with the use of a biogas generator and battery. In the present study, conventional PV panels have been integrated with phase change material (PCM) for power enhancement. In addition, various configurations (i. PV-Wind-Battery system, ii. PV-PCM-Wind-Battery, iii. PV-Wind-Biogas-Battery and iv. PV-PCM-Wind-Biogas-Battery) have been compared for the hot and humid climatic location of Chennai, India. Optimization has been carried out to minimize the cost of energy and the net present cost has also been computed. It has been found that the integration of PCM with the PV-Wind-Biogas-Battery-based off-grid system results in savings of USD 0.22 million in terms of net present cost and reduces the cost of energy from USD 0.099/kWh to USD 0.094/kWh. Similarly, for another off-grid HRES configuration of PV-Wind-Battery, the integration of PCM results in savings of USD 0.17 million, and reduces the cost of energy from USD 0.12/kWh to USD 0.105/kWh.

An experimental investigation on utilisation of floral foam as a coolant material to amp up the efficiency of solar PV panel

The photovoltaic cell performance can be affected by parameters such as operating temperature, irradiance and induced cell temperature. If the cell temperature increases, the PV module loses its conversion efficiency. So, it is necessary to maintain the temperature of a solar panel to extract the maximum efficiency in all the operating conditions. In our experimental work, a special cooling treatment was performed on the solar PV panel, using floral foam packs in the bottom surface and thin film of pot water flow over the top surface. As the pot water temperature always stays 5–8°C less than that of the ambient temperature, it was selected as a coolant medium, which absorbs the generated heat effectively. From the obtained results, it has been found that the efficiency of the PV panel with special cooling has improved the overall efficiency up to 60% more than that of the conventional PV panel.

Optimization of operational parameters for a photovoltaic panel cooled by spray cooling

This paper presents the optimization of parameters involved in the application of air assisted water spray on the PV panel surface. The effect of spray cooling on panel performance was examined. The increase of cell temperature, hence a decrease of electrical efficiency, was obtained experimentally for a conventional PV panel. In order to prevent a decrease in efficiency, effective parameters were determined. These parameters were examined in 3 levels as spraying time, spray flow rate, nozzle air flow rate, nozzle to panel distance and solar irradiance. Then, 32 experiments were carried out according to the experimental plan obtained using Response Surface Method. As the result, optimum values for highest electrical efficiency were obtained as 49.8990 s for spraying time, 0.0180 m3/h for spray flow rate, 2 m3/h for nozzle air flow rate, 50 cm for nozzle to panel distance and 700 W/m2 for solar irradiance. The most effective parameters were determined to be spray flow rate, spraying time and solar irradiance, respectively. An appropriate correlation with these parameters was proposed for electrical efficiency.

A Review on the Heat Pipe Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) System

The Photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system combines the conventional PV panel with solar collector into one integrated system, which could achieve the function of generating power and providing thermal energy at the same time. Recently, it has become the most promising solar system for building applications. Most of the PV/T systems use water as the coolant, which could cause freezing problem in winter. To overcome this problem, the heat pipe PV/T system is developed to provide electrical and thermal energy stably without the seasonal barrier. Although some published review works have involved this type of PV/T system, they just stated a simple introduction on it, acting as a small part of their works. This paper focuses on the heat pipe PV/T system independently and provides a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of its performance. Firstly, the structure and operational principles of the heat pipe PV/T module and system are introduced concisely. Then the features and performance of different types of heat pipe PV/T systems, i.e., integral heat pipe, loop heat pipe, and pulsating heat pipe PV/T system, are presented and analyzed. This is followed by the review on the performance of the systems which combine heat pipe PV/T module and other devices. Finally, the research gaps in this field are identified, and some future research trends and directions are recommended.

Enhancing energy production in a PV collector – Reflector system supervised by an optimization model: Experimental analysis and validation

In this paper the enhanced solar energy collection of a collector coupled with a flat booster bottom reflector is experimentally evaluated. The benefit provided by augmenting a PV panel with a specular reflector is then experimentally determined. The performances of an augmented PV arrangement and a conventional PV panel are compared. Five sizes of the reflector, at their optimal angular positions, aspect ratio and overhangs, are investigated as boosters of the PV panel. Several experiments have been carried out over the summertime for the reflector size, ranging from 0.3 m2 to 2.5 m2. The experimental enhancement factors (EFs) are further used to validate the analytical model, which includes an exact formulation of the shadowing and irradiating effects involved in the augmented system. This explorative investigation reveals experimental enhancement factor values in the range 6% − 17.8% and shows a good quantitative agreement with the predicted values. Moreover, the experimental profile reflects the simulated curve generated by the model. A detailed analysis demonstrates that the noted discrepancy between the simulated and experimental enhancement factor can be explained by the difference between the two PV panels conversion efficiencies that can arise when the two PV panels experience different operating temperature, and uneven illumination effect which were not explored in the model.

Study the Performance of Cooled Photovoltaic Thermal Solar Panel Using New Cooling Technology

In this work, experimental and numerical analyses have been executed to investigate the effect of using cooling techniques on the performance of the photovoltaic thermal solar panel (PV/T). It is well known that a decrease in the panel temperature will lead to an increase in the electrical efficiency. The photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collector is a combination of PV cells and a solar thermal collector in one unit, which can together generate electrical and thermal energy. In the theoretical study, the electrical characteristics of PV were analyzed by using (MATLAB PROGRAM). The panels were oriented south and tilted at 45o. All tests are carried out in Baghdad city at (May, June and July) in 2018; under clear sky conditions. The experimental study includes four cases (modules). Module I contains open cell aluminum metal located in water passages box of a 9-liter capacity in the back of PV panel. Module II contains only water pass. Module III comprises copper slices that are located in the water box. The first three cases are compared with the conventional PV panel under the same conditions. compares between the PV with open cell aluminum metal and the other PV with copper slices. The results manifested that the cooling of PV panel in the module III is better than the others, but economically, the use of module I is the best, therefor it is found a more acceptable technique for hot climate conditions

Trnsys Validation of a 1.5 Axis Tracking Concentrated Solar Photovoltaic Thermal System

This paper reports on TRNSYS simulation results on a hybrid concentrated solar photovoltaic thermal cooled collector, CSPVT. The system is composed of a 90Wp monocrystalline PV panel which is used to generate both electrical power and hot water for domestic use. The software was used to predict the total energy yield from a CSPVT. In addition to that, a prototype was built and tested to give actual energy yields. An existing Campbell weather station located near the experimental site, logging 15-minute data of actual parameters such as: incident radiation, voltage and current, enabled comparison with the model’s estimate. The electrical and thermal energy yields were closer to actual ones. Total energy production yield was 76% for Cape Town, South Africa, while TRNSYS predicted 82%. Thus, we conclude that, TRNSYS modelling can be used to predict the performance of the CSPVT at a location near the weather stations listed in the software’s database. A capital cost analysis showed that over a 15-year life span, the CSPVT could possibly give a unit energy cost less than half of that from a conventional PV panel.

Exergo-economic analysis of a serpentine flow type water based photovoltaic thermal system with phase change material (PVT-PCM/water)

An investigation on PVT-PCM/water system has been carried out under the weather conditions at Kottayam (9.5425 °N, 76.8202 °E), India. In the present paper, experimentations have been done to compare the overall performance of PV and water-based PVT-PCM panels. The PVT-PCM/water system has been analysed under various outdoor environmental conditions and it has been recorded that the integration of PCM contributed to an improved thermal and overall efficiency of 26.87% and 40.59% respectively, along with a rise in electrical efficiency by 17.33% compared with conventional PV panel. It has been found that the payback time for the water-based PVT-PCM system is about 6 years on the overall exergy basis, which is 11.26% shorter compared to conventional PV panels. Also, the water-based PVT-PCM system has long-term lifecycle conversion efficiency compared to conventional PV panel by about 27%.

Design and performance simulation of a novel hybrid PV/T-air dual source heat pump system based on a three-fluid heat exchanger

To pursue an environmentally friendly and efficient heating solution, a novel hybrid PV/T-air dual source heat pump based on a three-fluid heat exchanger was proposed. In the heating season, the system can absorb energy from solar and air simultaneously; in the non-heating season, the PV modules can be cooled actively or passively by heat pipe. The system was designed to provide heating and electricity for a rural single-family house in Beijing, and a mathematical model was developed. The results indicated that: (1) compared to a conventional air-source heat pump, the energy consumption of this system throughout the heating season was reduced by 13.1%; (2) for electricity generation, compared to a conventional PV panel, the electrical energy output increased by 14.7%. Additionally, the proposed integrated system has the advantages of a compact structure, standardized production, easy maintenance, and no risk of freezing.

Efficiency of solar PV panel by the application of coconut fibres saturated by earthen clay pot water

ABSTRACT Performance of the solar cell is hindered at higher operating temperature. Although higher irradiation increases the yield annually, the higher temperature would do a disservice. As temperature increases, the solar cell undergoes a thermal stress owing a way to carrier recombination. It becomes imperative to ease of the thermal stress, thereby running the PV system effectively and achieving the higher yield. An alternative cooling method is applied by cooling both the sides of the PV panel simultaneously. It includes cooling of the panel top surface by allowing a thin film of water to flow. The rear surface is packed with a biomaterial, which is saturated with the constant supply of water. This makes up a cooling unit. Here, the experimental study is carried out on comparison between a conventional PV panel and PVT panel packed with coir pith at the rear surface. The latter is cooled at two different modes, one among the panel by normal water and the other by earthen pot water. The results show that cooling the coir pith using earthen pot water has increased the overall efficiency up to 64%. It is higher than the other two panels, as the temperature of the pot water is 5°–8°C lower than the ambient air.

Evaluation and analysis of water-based photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system

Water-based PV/T collectors are useful for simultaneous hot water and electricity generation. This paper presents the design of a grid-connected water-based PV/T and performance evaluation from outdoor experiments in weather conditions of Oman. The paper focuses on the electrical performance of the system under three days of testing and draws conclusions onto the effect of ambient conditions and solar irradiance on conventional PV panels and PV/T collectors. The proposed PV/T shows superior electrical performance during the examination period, with consistent rise in electrical efficiency over conventional PV. The peak electrical power and voltage achieved by the system are around 67 Wp and 18.9V, respectively. The average power of the PV/T panel is 6% higher than average power of conventional PV panel.

Performance study of MATLAB modelled PV panel and conventional PV panel interfaced with LabVIEW

The maximum electrical energy conversion efficiency of the Solar PV panel is up to 22% in normal conventional roof- top system under the temperature of 25˚C on Standard Test Condition (STC). In Indian climatic conditions, the atmospheric temperature is mostly above 35˚C to 45˚C, it incites 35˚C to 80˚C temperature on the PV panel. The black body of the PV panel absorbs more heat. This temperature affects the electrical efficiency of the panel significantly. This paper proposes the mathematical modelling of the solar PV panel for different solar irradiation and the temperature. The experimental evaluation is conducted in the latitude of 11.36 (N) and longitude 77.82 (E). The testing and monitoring was done with LabVIEW based National Instruments hardware such as NI cDAQ-9178, NI DAQ - 9227 and NI DAQ 9225. The comparative study between the simulated result and real time hardware results are discussed in this paper. The test result shows that the output of the proposed model mismatches with the experimental output of the solar PV panel due to the negative correlation between the efficiency and temperature for variable irradiation condition. It shows a power difference of 9.41W between the output of the proposed model and the experimental setup.

Experimental study of using Al2O3/methanol nanofluid in a two phase closed thermosyphon (TPCT) array as a novel photovoltaic/thermal system

In this study, a novel two phase closed thermosyphons (TPCTs) photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system was constructed that was able to generate electrical and thermal power simultaneously. Methanol and Al2O3/methanol nanofluid were used as working fluid of the thermal system. The effect of filling ratio (at levels of 30, 40, 50, and 60%) as well as Al2O3 nanoparticles concentration in the working fluid (at values of 1.0, 1.5, and 2 wt%) on electrical and thermal performance of the PV/T module was investigated experimentally. The results suggested an optimum value for the filling ratio and the nanoparticles concentration at 50% and 1.5 wt%, respectively. The PV/T module at these conditions had 14.52 °C lower panel temperature and generated 1.42 W more electrical power output than an equivalent conventional PV panel. Furthermore, energy and exergy efficiencies of the system were calculated. The average electrical energy, the average total energy (including thermal efficiency), and the total exergy efficiencies for PV/T module (working with nanofluid) at optimum operating conditions increased about 1.0, 27.3%, and 1.1% respectively compared to the conventional PV module.

Performance and operational effectiveness of evacuated flat plate solar collectors compared with conventional thermal, PVT and PV panels

The concept of an evacuated flat plate (EFP) collector was proposed over 40 years ago but, despite its professed advantages, very few manufacturers have developed commercial versions. This situation suggests both technical difficulties in manufacturing a competitively-priced sealed for life panel and a lack of awareness of the benefits of such panels.This paper demonstrates an evacuated flat plate simulation that closely models experimental efficiency measurements. Having established the validity of the model, it compares published data for a commercial EFP collector with predictions for an optimal design to investigate whether any further efficiency improvement might be possible. The optimised design is then evaluated against alternative solar energy devices by modelling a number of possible applications. These comparisons should inform choices about solar options for delivering heat: EFP collectors are well-suited to some of these applications.Evacuated flat plate collectors are a possible alternative to concentrating collectors for Organic Rankine Cycle power generation. The annual output for all the modelled collectors was found to be a quadratic function of delivery temperature: this enabled a novel optimisation of ORC source temperature. Predictions for concentrating and non-concentrating ORC plant are compared with a PV/thermal alternative. The ORC output is significantly less than a PV panel would achieve; applications needing both heat and power are better served by PVT panels. This is an original and novel result.