A hybrid PV/T solar evaporator using CO2: Numerical heat transfer model and simulation results

The simulation results show an overall mean temperature reduction of the solar absorber plate operating at an electrical maximum power point of more than 25 °C with respect to a standard PV collector. Reducing the plate temperature leads to an additional production of 34 W of electrical power exceeding the maximum power specified under the test conditions of IEC 60904-3 international standard. In the simulated conditions, 1.028 kW of thermal power is also extracted and can be used in heating applications. The electrical efficiency increases from 14.1% for a standard solar PV collector to 16.0% for the suggested evaporator design. Finally, an overall efficiency combining both the electricity and heat production of 72.3% is achieved.