Performance evaluation and techno-economic analysis of a novel building integrated PV/T roof collector: An experimental validation

The integration of unique polyethylene heat exchanger loop underneath PV modules is studied. The system is designed to act as a roof element that properly blends into surroundings thus avoiding 'add-on' appearance and having a heat resource for solar assisted heating and cooling technologies. A detailed thermal model is adapted to investigate the thermal performance of the roof unit. Numerical computations have been carried out by using Engineering Equation Solver (EES) in terms of climate conditions of Nottingham, UK and design parameters of the building integrated PV/T roof collector. The experimental values indicate that water temperature difference could reach up to 16 °C, and the system would achieve up to 20.25% overall thermal efficiency. The energy and exergy analysis is performed to observe the increase in energy and exergy efficiencies due to the implementation of concealed heat extraction component. Techno-economic analysis is carried out by applying the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) method. Evaluations show that the estimated annual energy savings of the overall system is 10.3 MWh/year and the cost of power generation is found to be €0.0778 per kWh.