Performance evaluation of an integrated bi-fluid PV/T system for heating and power generation

The temperature rise of cells has impeded electrical generation. In this study, an improved layout of two integrated PV/T systems has performed the cooling to the PV and the heating to the cooling media. Bi-fluid PV/T system has been designed to give the cooling via water and air simultaneously to the PV module. The component of this system is considered a single channel collector, including a winding shape absorber tube, and the integration of the bi-fluid has been made with another collector of a double-pass counter-flow configuration. The energy balance thermal analysis approach was applied and processed using MATLAB. High thermal and electrical efficiency has been reached for both the bi-fluid PV/T and the air-based PV/T. The integration has given a temperature rise of 5.60oC to the airflow at an air mass flow-rate of 0.06 kgs−1 with 44.88% and 40.61% of thermal efficiency for the bi-fluid PV/T system and air-based PV/T system. The electrical efficiency has also been enhanced due to the cooling technique performed 14.44% and 12.85% for the bi-fluid PVT system and the air-based PV/T system. This integration has given the prudence of the optimum employment of solar energy.