Design of Solar Photovoltaic/Thermal System (PVT) with Thermal Energy Storage for Air-Conditioning Applications

Abstract

A photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) module is a system that simultaneously produces electricity and heat. The double elements of the PVT result in a higher general solar-powered transformation rate than that of PV alone. A detailed study of a PVT system coupled with a phase-change material (PCM) as a thermal energy storage system to supply energy to the vapor-absorption cycle for air-conditioning has been carried out in this paper. The working characteristics of the PV module have been studied and the overall increase in the efficiency of the system due to the thermal extraction cycle coupled with the thermal energy storage system has been determined. A comparative study of the performance of various PCM materials has been done to select the optimum material having the best heat absorption and retention properties to be utilized in our system. The COP of the vapor-absorption cycle has been determined at different time intervals based on the power input obtained from the absorbed heat from the solar panel. The exergy analysis has been performed to calculate the exergic efficiency of the system at different operating parameters. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.