Experimental Performance of a Hybrid PV/T Collector
Abstract
A novel design approach for a hybrid PV/T collector is proposed and tested. A glass tube transmits the solar flux to the PV cells attached to the heat transfer element, forming a single collector tube. A reflector is attached to the bottom of the tube. Optical modelling and FEM simulations showed an optimum configuration of a 3’o Clock absorber configuration. A minichannel and a heat pipe were selected as the heat transfer elements. A separate thermal performance testing on both showed almost same performance. PV cells were connected in series on either side of the absorber and connected in parallel in the array unit. In the winter conditions, the observed PV performance was around 11% and the thermal performance was greater than 50%. The measured efficiency is comparable to the available commercial technology.