Thermal analysis of hybrid photovoltaic-thermal water collector modified with latent heat thermal energy storage and two side serpentine absorber design

TLDR: In this paper , the experimental heat transfer efficiency for the fabricated photovoltaic thermal (PVT) system employing two-sided serpentine flow thermal absorber and phase change material (PCM) was investigated.

Abstract: The most popular renewable energy source is solar energy, which characterises as free, clean, and environmentally friendly. Photovoltaics (PV) generate electricity from daylight, becoming increasingly popular in residential and other applications. The potential energy delivery from a photovoltaic module is a function of solar radiation falling on the front surface and module operating temperature. However, these systems are modified to improve energy generation by placing an absorber on the bottom side of the module termed a Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT) system to reduce module temperature. The current study aims to investigate the experimental heat transfer efficiency for the fabricated PVT system employing two-sided serpentine flow thermal absorber and phase change material (PCM). PCM discharge the latent heat during off-sunshine hours to provide additional hot water. The experiment setup was tested with water as a working fluid in the flow rate range of 0.0085–0.067 kg/s. The optimal flow rate at which maximum heat gain of 757 W was obtained 0.033 kg/s with an average energy-saving efficiency of 69 %. The results confirm enhanced energy delivery of 3–5 % by PVT-PCM system compared to reference PV module for the same ambient operating conditions. Furthermore, the study reveals that overall efficiency of the PVT setup augment with the use of a thermal absorber and PCM, while the thermal efficiency is a factor that depends on the working fluid properties. • Fabrication of a two-side serpentine flow absorber for cooling photovoltaic thermal-phase change material collector system. • Results from heat transfer analysis lead to higher heat removal at 0.033 kg/s fluid flow rate of water. • Overall and energy-saving efficiency enhance by 23% and 28% for water flow rate of 0.033 kg/s as compared to other flow rates. • As the water flow rate increases from 0.0085 kg/s to 0.033 kg/s, the panel maximum average power output gains by 3%.