Design and Performance Analysis of an Air-Based Photovoltaic/Thermal Collector in Winter

Abstract

The most basic requirements of the facilities in which we spend nearly all of our time are for electricity and heat. It is critical, especially in cold climate regions, that both electrical energy and heating energy needs are met by the same system. The use of photovoltaic (PV) energy is rapidly expanding. Photovoltaic panels can convert solar energy into electrical energy with less than 20% efficiency. Solar energy applications include photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) collectors that can be installed on building facades or used as building envelopes. Solar energy is used to generate both electric and thermal energy needs with this collector. Off-grid photovoltaic panels and some types of flat-plate solar air collectors have been considered in our work. An experimental setup and a measurement system have been constructed to investigate the behavior of the air-based photovoltaic-thermal collector. This measurement system, sensors that collect data, and a data storage unit that can communicate temperature, humidity, and radiation data to the computer at the specified frequency comprise the experimental setup. The efficiencies of the PV and the solar air collector were calculated individually to estimate the performance of the air-based PV/T collector. Calculation criteria and a model have been developed to determine the performance of this collector. The problem was viewed as time-dependent under irregular settings when developing this model. The theoretical analytical model developed to determine the performance of the air-based PV/T collector was evaluated using Izmir’s, a city in the west of Türkiye, winter climatic conditions. As a result of the studies carried out to determine the experimental performance of the PV/T air collector developed within the scope of the study, the thermal efficiency of the system reached up to 35% and the electrical efficiency reached 19% during the winter months. As a result of comparing the results obtained from theoretical and experimental studies, max. It has been determined that there is an error of 0.12%.