Design and experimental study of a cost-effective low concentrating photovoltaic/thermal system

A low concentrating photovoltaic/thermal system (CPVTs) on a quasi-parabolic concentrator consisting of plane mirrors reflectors is proposed, which the concentrator characterizes the mirrors utilization ratio of 94.9% and overall optical efficiency of 55.5%, as well as a homogenous distribution of illumination on solar panels. As the solar panel based on silicon cell becomes less efficient with temperature increases, a water-cooling system is designed for the concentrating panels to achieve a lower operating temperature. On operation, the cooling water will flow through the two aluminum tubes on the backside of the solar panel so as to cool down the panels. Photoelectric tracking strategy on homemade coarse and accurate sensing modules is utilized to assure a cost efficient two-dimensional tracking. To assess the practical properties of the proposed system, a prototype is manufactured and installed for outdoor experiment tests, in which a comparative performance analysis of the flat panels and concentrating panels is accomplished. The results reveals that the electrical efficiency of the studied CPVT system ranges in 16.6-20%, and the system would achieve up to ∼59% overall efficiency.