Optimizing Photovoltaic Thermal Collector Temperature with Varying Number of Collectors: A CFD Simulation Study

Abstract

The abundant availability of solar energy presents a promising renewable resource, yet its potential remains underexploited due to limitations in current technology. Specifically, high operating temperatures pose a significant challenge to the overall efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) panels. This study, therefore, investigates the development of a combined Photovoltaic-Thermal (PVT) system, designed to concurrently generate electricity and thermal energy, with the primary objective of reducing PV surface operating temperatures to enhance electricity production. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach was employed to simulate the design of the collector within the PVT system using Solidworks 2017. Multiple collector configurations were modelled, encompassing 5, 10, and 15 collectors with edge angles of 90° and 180°, to elucidate the resulting temperature differentials. Our findings reveal that the utilization of 15 collectors with a 90o edge angle generated the lowest mean temperature, approximately 329.51 K, with a uniform distribution. The heat generation factor within each collector variation was observed to bear an impact on collector temperature, although the associated Anova P-value of 0.48 suggests non-significant temperature alterations across these collector variations. Similarly, the volume flow rate demonstrated negligible influence on temperature variations across each collector, with an Anova P-value of 0.03. This study, thus, illuminates potential pathways for advancing the geometric modeling of thermal collectors, with implications for the future development of solar energy exploitation technologies.