Application of heat pipe in an experimental investigation on a novel photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system

• A novel cooling system for photovoltaic panels is presented.
• Thermosyphon-type heat pipe array was incorporated for cooling.
• An increase in electrical power generation was achieved from the presented system.
• A significant thermal energy besides enhanced electrical power was recovered.

One of the most significant current discussions in world energy demand which is difficult to ignore is renewable energy. Recently, researchers have shown an increased interest in application of photovoltaic technology in this indispensable area. This paper has given an account of and the reasons for the widespread use of photovoltaic/thermal system. In this study, a photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) hybrid system is proposed by selecting heat pipe (thermosyphon type) to absorb isothermally the excessive heat from solar PV cells. The investigations on photovoltaic/thermal system were carried out in both spring and summer. In spring the systems were placed at 30° angle and methanol was used as working fluid for the thermosyphons. During the tests, the photovoltaic/thermal system generated an average of 5.67% electrical power more than the photovoltaic one. What is more, on average, the thermal efficiency of the photovoltaic/thermal system was 16.35% more. In summer the systems were positioned at 40° angle and acetone was used as working fluid. In the course of the tests, the photovoltaic/thermal system produced an average of 7.7% power more than the photovoltaic system and approximately, its thermal efficiency was 45.14%. Consequently, the proposed state-of-art resulted in a substantial temperature drop in the panel (up to 15 °C) and more electrical power generation. The findings of this experimental study support the idea of incorporating heat pipe technology into photovoltaic electricity generation for the purpose of efficiency enhancement and thermal energy gain.