Developments in photovoltaic/thermal solar systems

A photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system integrates PV module with solar thermal collector to produce electricity and thermal energy simultaneously. The most common design has the solar cells fixed on top of the absorber of a flat-plate solar thermal collector. Either water or air can be used as the heat removal fluid to cool the solar cells. The waste heat recovery makes the overall energy output of the hybrid system higher than either of the individual systems, on unit collector area basis. This hybrid solar technology is at the early stage of development. As the system performance depends very much on the weather conditions, the assessment of the long-term system performance often relies on computer simulation with the use of accurate numerical models. In this article, the developments in PV/T systems are briefly reviewed. A innovative design made use of the flat-box type thermal absorber for water heating is then introduced. Its energy performance evaluations through both experimental work and computer simulation were presented. The results lead to the estimation of the payback periods for both the thermosyphon stand-alone and the building integrated applications. The potential of real building applications in the warm climate region was discussed. © 2008 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.