Abstract :
This paper deals with the design of a single glazed flat plate Photovoltaic–Thermal (PV–T) solar collector. First, the thermal and electrical
performances of several single glazed flat plate PV–T concepts based on water circulation are investigated, using a simple 2D thermal
model, then different ways of improvement are presented. It mainly consists in focusing on the heat transfer between PV cells and
fluid, and also on the optical properties of materials. Thus, the most appropriate concept configuration has been identified and suitable
material properties have been selected. A prototype collector has been designed, built and tested. A high thermal efficiency was reached at
zero reduced temperature. For this level of thermal efficiency, the corresponding electrical efficiency has is lower than efficiency of a standard
PV panel using the same technology. However, this solar PV–T collector is reaching, in these standard conditions, the highest efficiency
level reported in the literature.
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