Electrical performance analysis of photovoltaic and photocatalytic hybrid system

To make full use of the spectral radiation, a hybrid system comprising a photocatalytic subsystem and a photovoltaic subsystem is proposed for both water purification and electricity output. The photocatalytic subsystem is presented as a convex-lens type structure to concentrate sunlight for photoelectric conversion. The theoretical model of electrical efficiency calculation in the hybrid system is constructed in detail. Result suggests that solar cell GaAs is more suitable for the transmitted spectrum under the reference condition. Compared with the stand-alone PV system, it is found the electrical generation of the hybrid system may be comparable or advantageous when having a higher concentration ratio. In addition, the solar cell temperature is relatively lower than that in the stand-alone PV system.