Field Test Results of an Innovative PV/T Collector for Solar Domestic Hot Water

Abstract

Presently, only a limited number of hybrid collectors and systems are available. Hybrid solar PV/T has the potential to become a major player in the renewable energy sector, but one of the most important barriers is the inexistence of a proven track record in terms of reliability and performance. In order to address this issue, an in-depth study was realized to monitor in-field energy performances of two solar domestic hot water installations near Lyon (France). The two sites was equipped with an innovative unglazed PV-T collector, the DualSun technology. With 9m2 of DualSun collectors, hot water needs for 4 people were 91% covered from May to September, with an average annual coverage of 50%. These results are really similar to classical solar thermal performances. Temperatures in the used panels never exceeded 68°C, demonstrating that there is no risk of overheating nor PV encapsulation degradations. The obtained performances were as high as expected from the Solar Keymark normative coefficients.