Experimental validation of the thermal performance of a concentrating photovoltaic/thermal system

In this paper, an experimental study of a concentrating photovoltaic/thermal system is carried out in a spring day of the Tunisian Saharan city Tozeur and this solar system thermal performance is evaluated for two water mass flow rates. A 3D CFD model interpreting this photovoltaic/thermal system is then developed and used to predict the temperature of the different components of this hybrid system. Numerical results of the water outlet temperature and PVT system thermal efficiency are compared to the experimental data and a good agreement is seen proving the validity of the developed CFD model. The temperature contours are also presented for different instants of the day, helping to understand the different phenomenon related to the photovoltaic/thermal conversion of the solar energy using this concentrating system.