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Showing papers on "Photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector published in 2006"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors presented TRNSYS simulation results for hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar systems for domestic hot water applications both passive (thermosyphonic) and active.

471 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, an aluminum-alloy flat-box type PVT collector was constructed, with its fin efficiency approaching unity, for natural circulation and for domestic water heating purpose, and the test results showed that a high final hot water temperature in the collector system can be achieved after a one-day exposure.

332 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, an aluminum-alloy flat-box type hybrid solar collector functioned as a thermosyphon system was constructed, and the test results indicated that the daily thermal efficiency could reach around 40% when the initial water-temperature in the system is the same as the daily mean ambient temperature.

292 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the design and performance assessment of several prototype plants in the power levels of 1 MW, 5 MW and 15 MW are presented, and detailed cost assumptions for the solarized gas turbine, the solar tower plant and further equipment as well as for operation and maintenance are presented.

258 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present various energy pay back time (EPBT) analyses of the solar PV system with reference to a fuel oil-fired steam turbine and their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and costs are also compared.

256 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a hybrid solar system with high temperature stage is described, which contains a radiation concentrator, a photovoltaic solar cell and a heat engine or thermoelectric generator.

233 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the performance of the photovoltaic (PV) module integrated with air duct for composite climate of India is evaluated, where thermal energy is produced along with electrical energy generated by a PV module with higher efficiency.

221 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the most efficient technology for the generation of electricity from solar radiation is the use of multi-junction solar cells made of III-V compound semiconductors.
Abstract: Today's most efficient technology for the generation of electricity from solar radiation is the use of multi-junction solar cells made of III-V compound semiconductors. Efficiencies up to 39% have already been reported under concentrated sunlight. These solar cells have initially been developed for powering satellites in space and are now starting to explore the terrestrial energy market through the use of photovoltaic concentrator systems. This opens a huge potential market for the application of compound semiconductor materials due to the large areas that are necessary to harvest sufficient amounts of energy from the sun. Concentrator systems using III-V solar cells have shown to be ecological and could play an important role for the sustainable energy generation of the future. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

192 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a ground-coupled heat pump was used in a 180m2 private residence and combined with thermal solar collectors to meet domestic hot water and heating-cooling building energy needs.

187 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the combination of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon thin films within a tandem solar cell corresponds to a theoretical optimum, and stabilized efficiencies of 10% to 12% have so far been obtained in the laboratory with such tandem solar cells.

125 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a 300kW solar chemical pilot plant for the production of zinc by carbothermic reduction of ZnO was experimentally demonstrated in a beam-down solar tower concentrating facility of Cassegrain optical configuration.
Abstract: In the framework of the EU-project SOLZINC, a 300-kW solar chemical pilot plant for the production of zinc by carbothermic reduction of ZnO was experimentally demonstrated in a beam-down solar tower concentrating facility of Cassegrain optical configuration. The solar chemical reactor, featuring two cavities, of which the upper one is functioning as the solar absorber and the lower one as the reaction chamber containing a ZnO/C packed bed, was batch-operated in the 1300–1500 K range and yielded 50 kg/h of 95%-purity Zn. The measured energy conversion efficiency, i.e., the ratio of the reaction enthalpy change to the solar power input, was 30%. Zinc finds application as a fuel for Zn/air batteries and fuel cells, and can also react with water to form high-purity hydrogen. In either case, the chemical product is ZnO, which in turn is solar-recycled to Zn. The SOLZINC process provides an efficient thermochemical route for the storage and transportation of solar energy in the form of solar fuels.

Patent
03 Apr 2006
TL;DR: A solar power system capable of storing heat energy and converting sun light to electrical power is described in this paper, where the thermal energy is extracted from the absorber/cavity via a fluid and transported to a heat conversion system.
Abstract: A solar power system capable of storing heat energy and converting sun light to electrical power. The solar power system includes a solar collection system which gathers and transmits concentrated solar energy to an absorber/cavity. The thermal energy is extracted from the absorber/cavity via a fluid and transported to a heat conversion system. The heat conversion system uses the thermal energy to create electricity.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a numerical model of a wall-mounted water-type photovoltaic/thermal (BiPV/T) system was developed by modifying the Hottel-Whillier model, originally for the thermal analysis of flat-plate solar thermal collectors.

Proceedings ArticleDOI
16 Jul 2006
TL;DR: A modeling and computing algorithm is proposed to simulate and analyze the effect of non-uniform changing shadows (a passing cloud) on the output power of solar PV arrays.
Abstract: This paper proposes a modeling and computing algorithm to simulate and analyze the effect of non-uniform changing shadows (a passing cloud) on the output power of solar PV arrays. Each solar array is composed of a matrix of individual solar cells or solar modules interconnected in series and parallel. Bypass switches and diodes are also modeled. The model is able to determine the power loss in each solar cell and the hot spots of a shaded solar PV array as well as the PV output power. The model is also able to simulate and compute the output power of solar PV arrays for any configuration, with or without bypass diode

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the shape and arrangement of the absorber surfaces of the collectors were reorganised to provide better heat transfer surfaces suitable for the passive heat transfer augmentation techniques, and the performance of such solar air collectors with staggered absorber sheets and attached fins on absorber surface were tested.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a novel asymmetric compound parabolic photovoltaic concentrator has been characterised experimentally with a similar non-concentrating system, and different numbers of PV strings connected within the system have been analyzed and a power ratio of 1.62 measured compared to a similar nonsmooth PV panel with the same cell area.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a model for building integrated photovoltaic systems has been developed and implemented in a dynamic simulation tool, taking into account the thermal interactions between the PV collector and the building.

01 Apr 2006
TL;DR: In this article, an infrared camera was used to evaluate the in-situ thermal performance of parabolic trough receivers at operating solar power plants, and the performance of the camera was evaluated using an infrared sensor.
Abstract: This paper describes a technique that uses an infrared camera to evaluate the in-situ thermal performance of parabolic trough receivers at operating solar power plants.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors have developed four solar assisted drying systems namely (a) the V-groove solar collector, (b) the double-pass solar collector with integrated storage system, (c) the solar assisted dehumidification system for medicinal herbs and (d) the photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collector system.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a cavity-shaped solar receiver for a beam-down type solar concentration system was proposed, where the thermal resistance of molten salt and the maximum discharge pressure of the pumps were taken into account as restrictions for the design of receivers.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the use of expensive semiconductor material must be minimized, necessitating the development of new technologies for terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) market. But, to sustain the present growth rate of terrestrial PV, the use must be minimised.
Abstract: At present renewable energy sources consist mainly of hydro power and wind energy, with the latter becoming increasingly important. However, the number of solar cells being produced yearly (in terms of watts produced by these solar cells under a standardized spectrum) has been growing consistently over the last 10 years, with growth rates between 25 and 70%/year; for 2005 solar cell production reached 1.7GW. This terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) market is currently dominated by flat plate modules incorporating Si solar cells. However, to sustain the present growth rate of terrestrial PV, the use of expensive semiconductor material must be minimized, necessitating the development of new technologies.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a new prototype of solar system with parabolic trough collectors was implemented at the Plataforma Solar de Almeria (PSA, South-East Spain) to investigate the direct steam generation process under real solar conditions in the parabolic solar collector field of a thermal power plant prototype.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: There is a worldwide resurgence in interest in high temperature solar thermal through solar concentrating systems as mentioned in this paper, and Australia has a number of these systems many of which are near commercial fulfilment; notably, Solar Heat and Power Pty Ltd's Compact Linear Fresnel Array system currently being implemented at Liddell Power station and the ANU 400m2 Big Dish now being commercialized by Wizard PowerPty Ltd.
Abstract: Australia has developed world leading solar thermal technologies, with only very low national market penetration. Domestic solar water heating is the most common solar thermal instrument, with around 5% of homes using it and most of these systems are conventional flat plate thermosyphon systems. Other low temperature solar thermal research includes solar crop drying, solar ponds and solar air heating but all on a small scale. There is a worldwide resurgence in interest in high temperature solar thermal through solar concentrating systems. Australia has a number of these systems many of which are near commercial fulfilment; notably, Solar Heat and Power Pty Ltd's Compact Linear Fresnel Array system currently being implemented at Liddell Power station and the ANU 400m2 Big Dish now being commercialized by Wizard Power Pty Ltd. CSIRO has recently opened a solar energy centre in Newcastle that features a solar central receiver tower system and a trough concentrator array.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors deal with the exergetic optimization of a solar thermal energy system, which includes a solar collector and a rectangular water storage tank that contains a phase change material (PCM) distributed in an assembly of slabs.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, it was shown that fluorescent collectors where radiation is confined with the use of selective reflectors can be modeled as converters of blackbody radiation, and the effective etendue of the emitted beam can be reduced substantially in the conversion process without violating the second law of thermodynamics.
Abstract: It is shown that fluorescent collectors where radiation is confined with the use of selective reflectors can be modeled as converters of blackbody radiation. By decreasing the temperature and frequency of the radiation, the effective etendue of the emitted beam can be reduced substantially in the conversion process without violating the second law of thermodynamics. This type of collector can, in principle, achieve surprisingly high efficiencies: the output from a silicon solar cell operating with an ideal collector can exceed 90% of the output from a directly illuminated solar cell.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, an analysis of a hybrid system of solar energy conversion having a stage operating at high temperature is given, which consists of a radiation concentrator, a photovoltaic solar cell and a thermal generator, which could be thermoelectric one or a heat engine.
Abstract: The analysis is given of hybrid system of solar energy conversion having a stage operating at high temperature. The system contains a radiation concentrator, a photovoltaic solar cell, and a thermal generator, which could be thermoelectric one or a heat engine. Two options are discussed, one (a) with concentration of the whole solar radiation on the PV cell working at high temperature and coupled to the high-temperature stage, and another (b) with a special PV cell construction, which allows the use of the part of solar spectrum not absorbed in the semiconductor material of the cell (“thermal energy”) to drive the high-temperature stage while the cell is working at ambient temperature. The possibilities of using different semiconductor materials are analyzed. It is shown that the demands to the cell material are different in the two cases examined: in system (a) with high temperature of cell operation, the materials providing minimum temperature dependence of the conversion efficiency are necessary, for another system (b) the materials with the larger band gap are profitable. The efficiency of thermal generator is assumed to be proportional to that of the Carnot engine. The optical and thermal energy losses are taken into account, including the losses by convection and radiation in the high-temperature stage. The radiation losses impose restrictions upon the working temperature of the thermal generator in the system (b), thus defining the highest possible concentration ratio. The calculations made show that the hybrid system proposed could be both efficient and practical, promising the total conversion efficiency around 25–30% for system (a), and 30–40% for system (b).

Proceedings ArticleDOI
Andreas Bett1, B. Burger1, Frank Dimroth1, Gerald Siefer1, H. Lerchenmuller 
07 May 2006
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present examples of III-V based high-concentration systems and experimental results obtained for a CPV system using FLATCON®-type modules.
Abstract: Recently, high-concentration PV using III-V solar cells becomes more attractive and several companies were founded. In the first part of this paper we present examples of III-V based high-concentration systems. The second part of the paper is devoted to experimental results obtained for a CPV system using FLATCON®-type modules. An averaged system efficiency of 19.1 % and a maximum system efficiency of 22.2 % were determined. FLATCON® test modules using triple-junction solar cells achieved outdoor measured efficiencies of 26.8 %.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, electrical and thermal energy output results for hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar systems are given, focusing on their performance improvements and environmental impact, considering their construction and operation requirements.
Abstract: An alternative and cost-effective solution to building integrated PV systems is to use hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar systems. These systems consist of PV modules with an air channel at their rear surface, where ambient air is circulating in the channel for PV cooling and the extracted heat can be used for building thermal needs. To increase the system thermal efficiency, additional glazing is necessary, but this results in the decrease of the PV module electrical output from the additional optical losses of the solar radiation. PV/T solar systems with air heat extraction have been extensively studied at the University of Patras. Prototypes in their standard form and also with low-cost modifications have been tested, aiming to achieve improved PV/T systems. An energetic and environmental assessment for the PV and PV/T systems tested has been performed by the University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’, implementing the specific software SimaPro 5·1 regarding the life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodology applied. In this paper electrical and thermal energy output results for PV and PV/T systems are given, focusing on their performance improvements and environmental impact, considering their construction and operation requirements. The new outcome of the study was that the glazed type PV/T systems present optimum performance regarding energy, cost and LCA results. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a novel CO2-recovering hybrid solar-fossil combined cycle with the integration of methane-fueled chemical-looping combustion, and investigate the system with the aid of the Energy-Utilization Diagram (EUD).
Abstract: In this paper we propose a novel CO2-recovering hybrid solar-fossil combined cycle with the integration of methane-fueled chemical-looping combustion, and investigate the system with the aid of the Energy-Utilization Diagram (EUD). Chemical-looping combustion (CLC) consists of two successive reactions: first, methane fuel is oxidized by metal oxide(NiO)as an oxygen carrier (reduction of metal oxide); and second, the reduced metal (Ni) is successively oxidized by combustion air (the oxidation of metal). The oxidation of methane with NiO requires a relative low-grade thermal energy at 300 degrees C-500 degrees C. Then concentrated solar thermal energy at approximately 450 degrees C-550 degrees C can be utilized to provide the process heat for this reaction. By coupling solar thermal energy with methane-fueled chemical-looping combustion, the energy level of solar thermal energy at around 450 degrees C-550 degrees C can be upgraded to the chemical energy of solid fuel Ni for better utilization of solar energy to generate electricity. The synergistic integration of solar thermal energy and chemical-looping combustion could make the exergy efficiency and the net solar-to-electric efficiency of the solar hybrid system more than 60% and 30%, respectively, at a turbine inlet temperature (TIT) of 1200 degrees C. At the same time, this new system has an extremely important advantage of directly suppressing the environmental impact due to lack of energy penalty for CO2 recovery. Approximately 9-15 percentage points higher efficiency can be achieved compared to the conventional natural gas-fired combined cycle with CO2 separation. The results obtained here are promising and indicate that this novel solar hybrid combined cycle offers the new possibility Of CO2 mitigation using both green energy and fossil fuels. These results also provide a new approach for highly efficient use of solar thermal energy to generate electricity.

Patent
06 Sep 2006
TL;DR: In this paper, a system for generating electric power from solar energy is provided, which is comprised of a solar concentrator (302 ) formed of an optically reflective material having a curved surface.
Abstract: A system ( 112 ) for generating electric power from solar energy is provided. The system is comprised of a solar concentrator ( 302 ) formed of an optically reflective material having a curved surface. The curved surface defines a focal center toward which light incident on the curved surface is reflected. A PV/thermal device ( 310 ) is positioned substantially at the focal center. The PV/thermal device is comprised of a photovoltaic array ( 600 ) and a thermal energy collector ( 604 ). The thermal energy collector ( 604 ) is used as a fluid cooling system for the photovoltaic array. A thermal energy converter ( 116 - 1 ) is provided with a fluid coupling to the fluid cooling system. The thermal energy converter is configured for converting thermal energy from the fluid cooling system to electric power. A power generation system ( 128 ) is also provided. The power generation system is comprised of an electrolysis system that is coupled to the PV/thermal device and/or a combustor that is coupled to the electrolysis system and the thermal energy converter. The PV/thermal device, the thermal energy converter, and/or the power generation system provide electric power to a load.