Research and development aspects of PV-T collector performance : an overview

الملخص EN

A photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) collector is a system that combines a photovoltaic module with a solar thermal system in one device in order to convert the incident sunlight into electricity and produce thermal heat simultaneously.

Different PV materials have been developed in order to obtain efficient solar energy utilization.

PV/T technology has attracted a significant amount of research and professional interest during the last decades due to its better performance compared to separate solar systems.

Hybrid PV/T solar collectors have been classified according to the kind of coolant fluid used.

Water, air or a combination of both are the media most widely used as coolant systems for extracting the heat from the rear surface of the PV panel.

Major research developments on enhancing the performance of PV/T collectors have been carried out in the last three decades.

This article reviews the developments and advances in hybrid PV/T air and water collector applications.