Special Issue "Research on Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) System"

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "Solar Energy and Photovoltaic Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yasser Mahmoudi Larimi
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5AH, UK
Interests: advanced thermal engineering; solar photovoltaic–thermal; heat pump; energy storage
Dr. Senthilarasu Sundaram
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR109FE, UK
Interests: new materials for dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSCs); thin-film-based building integrated PV
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Manosh C. Paul
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Professor of Thermofluids, James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
Interests: gasification; bioenergy; solar thermal energy; thermal energy storage; hybrid/integrated renewable/sustainable energy systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Present-day buildings have become the third largest consumer of energy after industry and agriculture and energy consumption in buildings, contributing up to 40% of the total energy use in developed countries. Energy consumption is rapidly increasing along with the growth of population, urbanization, and demands of building services and comfort levels. Thus, reducing building energy consumption plays a very important role in controlling global energy demand and mitigating climate change.

A useful measure to reduce building energy use is the hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system. PV/T panels combine two well-established renewable energy technologies, solar photovoltaics modules and solar thermal collectors, into one integrated component that removes generated heat from solar photovoltaics, thereby improving electrical efficiencies. The electrical performance of more recently installed PV/T systems does show an overall increase in the annual electrical energy output of 4%–12% in comparison with solar PV systems in the same situation. Using PV/T the generation potential per square meter can be substantially increased. This is particularly advantageous when space for installation can be limited, such as on domestic roofs. In some systems, it is possible to obtain the same energy output as a side-by-side installation of solar PV and solar thermal in 40% less area. PV/T systems can also integrate with energy-use equipment, such as heat pumps and absorption chillers, to provide heating or cooling for buildings. Moreover, solar thermal and power technologies can also integrate with distributed energy storage systems and building demand response technologies to improve the flexibility and reliability of both utility grid and buildings.

However, there are outstanding challenges for PV/T systems, including making PV/T technologies cost-effective, reducing the environmental of their production, installation, and disposal processes, efficient integration with existing energy devices and infrastructures in buildings, technical and economic optimisation of design and management, smart controls, and market and policy aspects. Thus, to further spread the technologies and methods related to PV/T systems, this Special Issue is proposed to cover both original research and review studies related to hybrid photovoltaic/thermal systems. This includes modelling and experimental findings on technical and economic optimisation of PV/T system processes in buildings.

Dr. Yasser Mahmoudi Larimi
Dr. Senthilarasu Sundaram
Prof. Manosh C. Paul
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Advanced PV/T materials
  • Thermal and electrical energy storage solutions for PV/T systems in buildings
  • Solar cooling and passive solar systems
  • Integration of PV/T with other renewables such as solar-assisted heat pumps
  • Smart control algorithms for advanced PV/T systems
  • Life-cycle analyses of advanced and innovative solar thermal technologies
  • Energy flexibility and demand response techniques for solar energy technologies
  • Investment, markets and policy assessments of solar technologies

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Article
Is It Possible to Make Money on Investing in Companies Manufacturing Solar Components? A Panel Data Approach
Energies 2021, 14(12), 3406; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14123406 - 09 Jun 2021
Viewed by 460
Abstract
In the interests of the environment, many countries set limits on the use of non-renewable energy sources and promote renewable energy sources through policy and legislation. Consequently, the demand for components for renewable energy systems exhibits an upward trend. For this reason, managers, [...] Read more.
In the interests of the environment, many countries set limits on the use of non-renewable energy sources and promote renewable energy sources through policy and legislation. Consequently, the demand for components for renewable energy systems exhibits an upward trend. For this reason, managers, investors, and banks are interested in knowing whether investing in a business associated with the semiconductor and related device manufacturing sector, especially the photovoltaic (PV) systems manufacturers, is worthy of a penny. Using a sample for the period of 2015–2018, we apply a new approach to panel data, extending existing research using Classification Trees with the k-Nearest Neighbor and Altman model. Our aim is to analyze the financial conditions of enterprises to identify key indicators that distinguish companies producing PV system components (labeled “green, G”) from companies that do not manufacture PV components (“red, R”). Our results show that green companies can be distinguished from red companies at classification accuracies of 86% and 90% for CRT and CHAID algorithms in Classification Trees method and 93% for k-Nearest Neighbor method, respectively. Based on the Altman model and the analysis of crucial ratios, we also find that green businesses are characterized by lower financial performance although future ratio values may equal or exceed the values for the red companies if current upward trends are sustained. Therefore, investing in green companies presents a viable alternative. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) System)
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Article
An Experimental Study on the Energy and Exergy Performance of an Air-Type PVT Collector with Perforated Baffle
Energies 2021, 14(10), 2919; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14102919 - 18 May 2021
Viewed by 392
Abstract
BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaic) system is a building envelope technology that generates energy by converting solar energy into electricity. However, after producing electrical energy, the remaining solar energy is transferred as heat, raising the temperature at the rear of the BIPV module, and [...] Read more.
BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaic) system is a building envelope technology that generates energy by converting solar energy into electricity. However, after producing electrical energy, the remaining solar energy is transferred as heat, raising the temperature at the rear of the BIPV module, and reducing electrical efficiency. On the other hand, a PVT (Photovoltaic Thermal) collector is a device that generates electricity from a PV module and at the same time uses the heat transferred to the air layer inside the collector. In general, the performance of air-type PVT collectors is based on energy analysis using the first law of thermodynamics. Since this performance does not take into account the loss amount, it is not the actual amount of power generation and preheat of the collector that can be used. Therefore, an exergy analysis based on the second law of thermodynamics considering the amount of energy loss must be performed. In this paper, an air-type PVT collector to which perforated baffles were applied was tested through outdoor experiments based on ISO 9806 standard. The total energy (thermal and electrical characteristics) and exergy according to the flow rate (100, 150, and 200 m3/h), solar radiation, and rear temperature of the PV module of the air-type PVT collector were analyzed. As a result, the total exergy efficiency of the air-type PVT collector with perforated baffles was 24.8–30.5% when the total energy efficiency was 44.1–63.3%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) System)
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Article
Photovoltaic Panels Temperature Regulation Using Evaporative Cooling Principle: Detailed Theoretical and Real Operating Conditions Experimental Approaches
Energies 2021, 14(1), 145; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14010145 - 29 Dec 2020
Viewed by 486
Abstract
Solar photovoltaic (PV) applications are gaining a great interest worldwide and dominating the renewable energy sector. However, the solar PV panels’ performance is reduced significantly with the increase in their operating temperature, resulting in a substantial loss of energy production and poor economic [...] Read more.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) applications are gaining a great interest worldwide and dominating the renewable energy sector. However, the solar PV panels’ performance is reduced significantly with the increase in their operating temperature, resulting in a substantial loss of energy production and poor economic scenarios. This research contributes to overcoming the PV performance degradation due to the temperature rise. This work involves experimental and theoretical studies on cooling of PV panels using the evaporative cooling (EC) principle. A new EC design to cool the bottom surface of a PV panel was proposed, fabricated, tested, and modeled. A series of experimentation readings under real conditions showed the effectiveness of the method. A steady state heat and mass transfer model was implemented and compared with the experimental data. Fair agreement between the results of the modelling and experimental work was observed. It was found that the temperature of the PV panel can be decreased by 10 °C and the power improvement achieved was 5%. Moreover, the EC helps to stabilize the panels’ temperature fluctuation, which results in a better regulation of electrical power output and reduces the uncertainty associated with solar PV systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) System)
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