Thermal modelling of N partially covered photovoltaic thermal (PVT) – Compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) collectors connected in series

•A comparison for month of January (cold) and June (hot) has been done for Indian climates on energy and exergy basis.•Parametric studies has been done optimization of number of collector and mass flow rate for a given temperature, also the performance of the system has been evaluated for different area covered by PV modules on the PVT–CPC system.

In the present study, the thermal energy balance equations have been taken for N partially covered photovoltaic thermal–compound parabolic concentrator collectors (N-PVT–CPC) connected in series. An analytical mathematical expression for Nth outlet water temperature (TfoN) and efficiency of solar cell at Nth collector (ηcN) have been derived in terms of climate and design parameters. Numerical computations have been carried out for two Indian climatic condition namely (a) January (winter) and (b) June (summer), respectively. Effect of number of PVT–CPC collectors connected in series, mass flow rate and the percentage of PV coverage on various temperatures, an overall thermal energy and overall exergy have been carried. It has been observed that an overall exergy of proposed system is maximum for winter condition due to less thermal losses.