Effects of the Heat Transfer Fluid Selection on the Efficiency of a Hybrid Concentrated Photovoltaic and Thermal Collector

Campos, Catarina Sofia; Torres, João Paulo N.; Fernandes, João

doi:10.3390/en12091814

Cited by 16 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…It is necessary to take into account the voltage drop in the circuit up to the external contacts, which can be represented by a series resistance R s and also the leakage currents, which can be represented by a parallel resistance, R p . The influence of these parameters on the I-V characteristic of the solar cell can be studied using the equivalent circuit presented on Figure 11 [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. The model parameters are I s , I 0 , n, R s , and R p , and thus the output current can be related to the output voltage based on expression 13 [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42].…”

Section: Model: Solar Cellmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optical Nanoantennas for Photovoltaic Applications

Duarte¹,

Torres

Baptista

et al. 2021

Nanomaterials

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In the last decade, the development and progress of nanotechnology has enabled a better understanding of the light–matter interaction at the nanoscale. Its unique capability to fabricate new structures at atomic scale has already produced novel materials and devices with great potential applications in a wide range of fields. In this context, nanotechnology allows the development of models, such as nanometric optical antennas, with dimensions smaller than the wavelength of the incident electromagnetic wave. In this article, the behavior of optical aperture nanoantennas, a metal sheet with apertures of dimensions smaller than the wavelength, combined with photovoltaic solar panels is studied. This technique emerged as a potential renewable energy solution, by increasing the efficiency of solar cells, while reducing their manufacturing and electricity production costs. The objective of this article is to perform a performance analysis, using COMSOL Multiphysics software, with different materials and designs of nanoantennas and choosing the most suitable one for use on a solar photovoltaic panel.

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Section: Model: Solar Cellmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optical Nanoantennas for Photovoltaic Applications

Duarte¹,

Torres

Baptista

et al. 2021

Nanomaterials

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“…Resorting to Equation ( 1 ), it is easy to see that incrementing

affects the open-circuit voltage of the cell, which increases logarithmically by several

factors. This boost in the

will be more evident for a multi-junction cell, in which every subcell will contribute for the increase of

with concentration, and thus rising the fill-factor of the overall cell [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ].

…”

Section: Fields Of Application Of Iii-v Solar Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The constant search for new energetic solutions to face the ever-demanding world’s energy consumption has been one of the main focus amongst researchers in the twenty-first century. At the time this article is being written, a good and affordable alternative seems to be found in the use of renewable energies [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. Even though the world is not yet prepared to switch completely to renewable sources, the installed capacity of these sources is increasing day by day, with the global renewable generation power already surpassing 2300 gigawatts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the years to come, PV has the capacity of becoming one of the major energy sources in the world—as the price of fossil fuels continuously rises [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ], the cost of solar PV has been substantially decreasing over the last two decades, with its LCOE (Levelized Cost Of Energy) being estimated to be within the range of 0.03 to 0.10 $/kWh by 2020–2022 [ 2 , 3 , 20 ]. This prophetizes a solid future for the PV industry, especially if it is supported by the decrease in battery prices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Characterization and Design of Photovoltaic Solar Cells That Absorb Ultraviolet, Visible and Infrared Light

Bernardes¹,

Lameirinhas

Torres

et al. 2021

Nanomaterials

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The world is witnessing a tide of change in the photovoltaic industry like never before; we are far from the solar cells of ten years ago that only had 15–18% efficiency. More and more, multi-junction technologies seem to be the future for photovoltaics, with these technologies already hitting the mark of 30% under 1-sun. This work focuses especially on a state-of-the-art triple-junction solar cell, the GaInP/GaInAs/Ge lattice-matched, that is currently being used in most satellites and concentrator photovoltaic systems. The three subcells are first analyzed individually and then the whole cell is put together and simulated. The typical figures-of-merit are extracted; all the I−V curves obtained are presented, along with the external quantum efficiencies. A study on how temperature affects the cell was done, given its relevance when talking about space applications. An overall optimization of the cell is also elaborated; the cell’s thickness and doping are changed so that maximum efficiency can be reached. For a better understanding of how varying both these properties affect efficiency, graphic 3D plots were computed based on the obtained results. Considering this optimization, an improvement of 0.2343% on the cell’s efficiency is obtained.

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“…Yi [17] performed a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation and determined the effects of natural convection, radiation and conduction heat transfer on the thermal performance of the Solarus PowerCollector. Campos et al [18] studied the effects of HTF on the efficiency of a CPVT collector. Tiemessen [19] developed a CFD simulation model for the Solarus PowerCollector and compared with experimental results and modified the model to reduce the heat losses.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical and Experimental Study of an Asymmetric CPC-PVT Solar Collector

et al. 2020

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Photovoltaic (PV) panels and thermal collectors are commonly known as mature technologies to capture solar energy. The efficiency of PV cells decreases as operating cell temperature increases. Photovoltaic Thermal Collectors (PVT) offer a way to mitigate this performance reduction by coupling solar cells with a thermal absorber that can actively remove the excess heat from the solar cells to the Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF). In order for PVT collectors to effectively counter the negative effects of increased operating cell temperature, it is fundamental to have an adequate heat transfer from the cells to the HTF. This paper analyzes the operating temperature of the cells in a low concentrating PVT solar collector, by means of both experimental and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation results on the Solarus asymmetric Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC) PowerCollector (PC). The PC solar collector features a Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC) reflector geometry called the Maximum Reflector Concentration (MaReCo) geometry. This collector is suited for applications such as Domestic Hot Water (DHW). An experimental setup was installed in the outdoor testing laboratory at Gävle University (Sweden) with the ability to measure ambient, cell and HTF temperature, flow rate and solar radiation. The experimental results were validated by means of an in-house developed CFD model. Based on the validated model, the effect of collector tilt angle, HTF, insulation (on the back side of the reflector), receiver material and front glass on the collector performance were considered. The impact of tilt angle is more pronounced on the thermal production than the electrical one. Furthermore, the HTF recirculation with an average temperature of 35.1 °C and 2.2 L/min flow rate showed that the electrical yield can increase by 25%. On the other hand, by using insulation, the thermal yield increases up to 3% when working at a temperature of 23 °C above ambient.

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Effects of the Heat Transfer Fluid Selection on the Efficiency of a Hybrid Concentrated Photovoltaic and Thermal Collector

Cited by 16 publications

References 21 publications

Optical Nanoantennas for Photovoltaic Applications

Optical Nanoantennas for Photovoltaic Applications

Characterization and Design of Photovoltaic Solar Cells That Absorb Ultraviolet, Visible and Infrared Light

Numerical and Experimental Study of an Asymmetric CPC-PVT Solar Collector

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