Experimental Study of Solar Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) System Based on Flat Plate Heat Pipe

In order to improve the utilization of solar energy, we use the new flat-plate heat pipe in the solar photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system to meanwhile gain electricity and heat. In this way, the temperature of solar cell could be effectively reduced to improve power generation efficiency, and the heat dissipation of solar panel could also be stored up through the forced circulation of the aqueous solution at the same time for the hot water supply or radiant floor heating. We had done the solar photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system´s experimental test at the end of heating season. The results indicated that the totally heat generated from a 900W solar panels could meet the heating demand of a 15 m² building. The instantaneous thermal efficiency of system could reach 25.8%, the photovoltaic conversion efficiency is nearly 14.5% and the overall performance efficiency is up to 40.3%. The solar photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system based on the new flat-plate heat pipe is obviously more efficient than the photovoltaic or solar heat utilization system alone.