An overview of photovoltaic thermal combination (PV/T combi) technology

Solar energy is the most recognised diversified renewable energy from which the production can be extracted into electrical and thermal energy. Hybrid PV/T technology is a combination of photovoltaic panel and thermal collector. Photovoltaic panel converts sunlight to electricity, while thermal collector converts solar energy directly to heat. The synchronization led to the development of PV/T air-based and PV/T water-based systems. This paper presents an overview of Photovoltaic Thermal Combination system (PV/T Combi), with a combination of photovoltaic panel with air- and water-based systems as one unit. This bi-fluid concept not only generates electrical energy, but also produces hot air and hot water, simultaneously. From the literature, this concept was seen to achieve better overall energy efficiency, especially in electrical production. This is because heat is extracted from the PV module double by both air and water media. The combination of these two types of heat carrier is to cover the limitations and weaknesses of independent PV/T water and air heat collector systems. The configuration of the system also introduced low-cost cooling effect such as fins and ribs. The system is analysed in both mathematical modelling and experimental testing methods. The outcome of the system can benefit humankind due to its efficient application in domestic and industrial sectors.