Numerical analysis of a hybrid air photovoltaic panel (PV)

Abstract

During the photovoltaic conversion of solar panels, a significant amount of heat is generated, which causes an increase in the temperature of photovoltaic cells and decreases their efficiency and reliability. This negative effect of heat is caused by a part of the solar radiation that is not absorbed by the solar panels, which leads to heat and weakens its performance. Many efforts have been made to reduce this heating effect on the performance of the PV system, such as combining PV and thermal systems to form a hybrid PVT complex that produces both electricity and heat. Gambit and Fluent 6.3.26 software were used for geometry construction and numerical simulations. This work aims to improve the electrical performance of PV cells by enhancing the heat recovered from PVT panels. For this purpose, we performed a numerical simulation of three configurations (3) of PVT panels integrated with TFMS. We analyzed and compared a single air PVT module (without fins), an air PVT module with two fins, and an air PVT module with four fins. The obtained results represent the variations of the contours and the temperature profiles as well as the flow velocity as a function of the flow rates, and the results show that the use of air and the integration of fins has a significant effect on the cooling of the PVT panel elements and thus allowing to improve its performance.