Energy Performance of a Reversed Circular Flow Jet Impingement Bifacial Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT) Solar Collector

Abstract

PVT technologies relies on the photovoltaic modules to generate electricity. However, the photovoltaic module itself has a negative downside due to the heat absorbed from being exposed to solar irradiance, resulting in a decline in the module's efficiency. The implementation of a cooling system is important in order to improve its performance. This article presents the energy performance of a bifacial PVT collector cooled by a reversed circular flow jet impingement (RCFJI) by performing indoor experimental. The solar irradiance, I, tested ranged between 500W/m2 to 900W/m2 with a mass flow rate (ṁ) ranged from 0.01kg to 0.14kg/s. From the analysis, the highest photovoltaic efficiency was observed at I = 900W/m2 with 10.91% efficiency. In contrast, the highest thermal and combined photovoltaic thermal performance recorded was 61.4% and 72.35%, respectively under the same operating conditions.