Experimental study and simulation of hybrid Photovoltaic/Thermal solar system in the climate of Saudi Arabia PDF

Keywords

PV/T air system, Modeling, Thermal model, Simulation, Comsol.

Abstract

In order to obtain a high electrical efficiency for photovoltaic (PV) system, it is necessary to cooling it; a Photovoltaic Thermal (PV/T) solar system is one of the most important methods for cooling photovoltaic modules. In this study, a thermal model of a PV/T air solar system was developed, validated from experimental data and then used to study the effects of various parameters on the performance of the system. The thermal model is based on the energy balance of the PV/T air module in which all essential heat transfer mechanisms between the module to the environment and related electrical output are modeled to observe the net change in PV/T air module temperature. The thermal model of PV/T module, developed for the present study, has been numerically solved using finite element method (FEM) with Comsol Multiphysics. The main objective of the thermal model is to investigate the dependence of PV/T air module temperature on the global solar irradiation and on air flow velocity. The results obtained from the proposed thermal model are validated experimentally. The results indicate that increasing the air mass flow rate when the design parameters are optimum will result into a significant increase in the overall performance of the system.