Theoretical and Experimental Studies of a New Configuration of Photovoltaic–Thermal Collector

Within the solar energy technologies, the hybrid photovoltaic–thermal (PVT) systems offer an attractive option because the absorbed solar radiation is converted into thermal and electrical energies (the conversion can be done separately or simultaneously). In this study, an attempt has been made to evaluate the theoretical and practical performances and evaluation of a hybrid PVT collector based on a new integrated absorber configuration function of climatic and design parameters. Our objective is to obtain a more efficient use of solar energy by cheaper materials and simpler implementation. On the first hand, we considered two different configurations of hybrid collectors which are defined as PVT water with absorber in parallel vertical tubes (model I) and a PVT with absorber in an enclosure (model II). On the second hand, we presented a new integrated absorber configuration for hybrid collector; then we compared it to the two previous models. The last proposed design has the advantage of a simpler implementation and a lower cost compared to other configurations of PVT hybrid collectors. A computer simulation program has been developed in order to calculate the thermal and electrical parameters of the PVT–water collector. The obtained simulation results are found to be in good agreement with the experimental measurements. For a sample climatic, operating, and design parameter, the calculated thermal and electrical energies of the new configuration of PVT are about 125.36 W and 40 W, respectively.