Abstract:
Hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) systems produce both electricity andthermal energy resulting to an increase inthe overall efficiency of the system and a reduction inthe cost of solar electricity.A comprehensive parametric study has been carried out in this paper to investigate the mechanisms for increasing the wall heat flux and hence the overallperformance of a PV/T air collector. The collector considered consists of a PV laminate, an air channel, a back plate and abackinsulation material. In thestudy, a thermal model of a PV/T air solar collector under natural flow mode was developed, validated from experimental data and then used to generate modelling results on the effects of design and operating parameters on the amount of heat transferred to the air in the duct. The results indicate that increasing theair mass flow ratein the range 0 -0.015 kg/s while keeping the thermal resistance of bottom EVA and tedlar layersvery low resultinto a significant increase in the amount of heat transferred to air.
