Numerical Study for Electrical Performance Evaluation ofPhotovoltaic Thermal System and ExperimentalValidation

In this paper, the experimental performance evaluation of a solar photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) aircollector is carried out. An experimental setup for a PV/T air collector is built to measure its thermal andelectrical parameters. A detailed thermal and electrical model is developed to simulate PV/T air collectorthermal and electrical parameters. Unlike the conventional electrical models used in the previousliterature, the electrical model presented in this paper can estimate the electrical parameters of PV/T aircollector. Further, an analytical expression for the overall energy efficiency of PV/T air collector isderived in terms of thermal, electrical, design and climatic parameters. Numerical simulations have alsobeen carried out. It is observed that there is a good agreement between simulated and experimentalresults. Further, it is concluded that an overall energy efficiency of PV/T system is significantly increaseddue to utilization of thermal energy in PV modules.

Keywords:

Solar Photovoltaic Thermal (PV/T) Air Collector , Numerical Simulation