Numerical and experimental investigations of the electrical and thermal performances of a novel PV thermal system

Hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PV-thermal) is a promising technology that could harness the maximum output from solar energy. In this work, a new thermal management system based on an innovative design of PV-thermal is designed and investigated under outdoor weather conditions in Sharjah, UAE. A numerical model is also developed to evaluate the thermal and electrical performances. Moreover, the energy and exergy evaluations are carried out to identify the performance enhancement of the PV system. The innovative absorber design adopted in this PV thermal system led to a considerable reduction of the module temperature. The results show that the novel cooling system enhanced both electrical and thermal performances. The maximum output power improved by an average of 15% with cooling, whereas the averaged module temperature decreased by almost 16 °C compared to the no-cooling case. The addition of front cooling to the PV-thermal system has also resulted in a further reduction of the module temperature by 26 °C and an increase of 17.6% in maximum output power with regard to the uncooled case. The exergy assessment showed that up to 61% increase in the overall exergy was achieved using the novel PV-thermal.