A Review of Solar Hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermal (PV-T) Collectors and Systems

In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art in hybrid PV-T collectors and the wider systems within which they can be implemented, and assess the worldwide energy and carbon mitigation potential of these systems. We cover both experimental and computational studies, identify opportunities for performance enhancement, pathways for collector innovation, and implications of their wider deployment at the solar-generation system level. First, we classify and review the main types of PV-T collectors, including air-based, liquid-based, dual air–water, heat-pipe, building integrated and concentrated PV-T collectors. This is followed by a presentation of performance enhancement opportunities and pathways for collector innovation. Here, we address state-of-the-art design modifications, next-generation PV cell technologies, selective coatings, spectral splitting and nanofluids. Beyond this, we address wider PV-T systems and their applications, comprising a thorough review of solar combined heat and power (S–CHP), solar cooling, solar combined cooling, heat and power (S–CCHP), solar desalination, solar drying and solar for hydrogen production systems. This includes a specific review of potential performance and cost improvements and opportunities at the solar-generation system level in thermal energy storage, control and demand-side management. Subsequently, a set of the most promising PV-T systems is assessed to analyse their carbon mitigation potential and how this technology might fit within pathways for global decarbonization. It is estimated that the REmap baseline emission curve can be reduced by more than 16% in 2030 if the uptake of solar PV-T technologies can be promoted. Finally, the review turns to a critical examination of key challenges for the adoption of PV-T technology and recommendations

A review of solar hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PV-T) collectors and systems

In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art in hybrid PV-T collectors and the wider systems within which they can be implemented, and assess the worldwide energy and carbon mitigation potential of these systems. We cover both experimental and computational studies, identify opportunities for performance enhancement, pathways for collector innovation, and implications of their wider deployment at the solar-generation system level. First, we classify and review the main types of PV-T collectors, including air-based, liquid-based, dual air–water, heat-pipe, building integrated and concentrated PV-T collectors. This is followed by a presentation of performance enhancement opportunities and pathways for collector innovation. Here, we address state-of-the-art design modifications, next-generation PV cell technologies, selective coatings, spectral splitting and nanofluids. Beyond this, we address wider PV-T systems and their applications, comprising a thorough review of solar combined heat and power (S–CHP), solar cooling, solar combined cooling, heat and power (S–CCHP), solar desalination, solar drying and solar for hydrogen production systems. This includes a specific review of potential performance and cost improvements and opportunities at the solar-generation system level in thermal energy storage, control and demand-side management. Subsequently, a set of the most promising PV-T systems is assessed to analyse their carbon mitigation potential and how this technology might fit within pathways for global decarbonization. It is estimated that the REmap baseline emission curve can be reduced by more than 16% in 2030 if the uptake of solar PV-T technologies can be promoted. Finally, the review turns to a critical examination of key challenges for the adoption of PV-T technology and recommendations

A review of solar hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PV-T) collectors and systems

In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art in hybrid PV-T collectors and the wider systems within which they can be implemented, and assess the worldwide energy and carbon mitigation potential of these systems. We cover both experimental and computational studies, identify opportunities for performance enhancement, pathways for collector innovation, and implications of their wider deployment at the solar-generation system level. First, we classify and review the main types of PV-T collectors, including air-based, liquid-based, dual air–water, heat-pipe, building integrated and concentrated PV-T collectors. This is followed by a presentation of performance enhancement opportunities and pathways for collector innovation. Here, we address state-of-the-art design modifications, next-generation PV cell technologies, selective coatings, spectral splitting and nanofluids. Beyond this, we address wider PV-T systems and their applications, comprising a thorough review of solar combined heat and power (S–CHP), solar cooling, solar combined cooling, heat and power (S–CCHP), solar desalination, solar drying and solar for hydrogen production systems. This includes a specific review of potential performance and cost improvements and opportunities at the solar-generation system level in thermal energy storage, control and demand-side management. Subsequently, a set of the most promising PV-T systems is assessed to analyse their carbon mitigation potential and how this technology might fit within pathways for global decarbonization. It is estimated that the REmap baseline emission curve can be reduced by more than 16% in 2030 if the uptake of solar PV-T technologies can be promoted. Finally, the review turns to a critical examination of key challenges for the adoption of PV-T technology and recommendations

Predictive Thermal Modeling and 3E Analysis of Solar Water Heating Systems: Employing A Hybrid Lattice Boltzmann Based Method and Experimental Investigation

Title from PDF of title page, viewed August 30, 2023Dissertation advisor: Sarvanaz SobhansarbandiVitaIncludes bibliographical references (pages 139-163)Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Department of Mathematics and Statistics. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2023Today, solar energy is one of the most prevalent forms of renewable energy being used and will come to play one of the most significant roles in meeting future energy demands, which is expected to increase to 34000 PJ by 2031. Solar thermal collectors (STCs) are technologies which convert the sun’s radiation into thermal energy for the end user. A variety of these devices are used to meet thermal energy needs, worldwide. Among the various solar thermal devices currently available, evacuated tube solar collectors (ETCs) comprise most of the installed capacity for the application in solar water heating (SWH) systems. Several factors including the collectors’ ability to passively track the sun during operation time, significant reduction of heat loss to the ambient due to the vacuum layer between the inner and outer tubes, and low maintenance costs have contributed to the prominent role that ETCs have in meeting solar hot water demand. The shortcomings of existing numerical approaches, employed for simulating ETC behavior include: (a) computational intensity of direct numerical simulation models and (b) lack of resolution of 1D and dynamic models. Therefore, in this study: First, a novel method of resistance network based proper orthogonal decomposition (RNPOD) is presented which can not only consider the geographical and meteorological characteristics of the ambient surroundings, but also take into account the peripheral temperature distribution of a single ETC during daytime operation. Second, after successfully validating the proposed model with existing experimental results, a hybrid computational fluid dynamics model is proposed that can accommodate the collectors’ behavior during night-time operation. In addition, this numerical model will be further augmented so as to be able to account for the addition of phase change material within the ETC. Finally, it is proposed that an experimental study be conducted on incorporating reflectors for increasing the thermal output of ETCs.Novel proper orthogonal decomposition based resistance network model for daytime operation of solar collector -- Numerical modeling and experimental cross-validation of a solar thermal collector through an innovative hybrid CFD model -- Melting behavior prediction of latent heat storage material: a multi-pronged solution -- 3E evaluation of a solar thermal collector with compound parabolic reflector: a case study in midwest region -- Conclusion -- Future wor

Membrane Distillation Development for Concentrated Solar Thermal Systems

At present, both energy and water are predominantly supplied through the burning of fossil fuels. Going forward, new demand (and the replacement of retiring assets) is increasingly being met by sustainable technologies—largely driven by solar energy. This PhD thesis aimed to address two pressing Sustainable Development Goals, set out by the United Nations, ‘affordable and clean energy’ and ‘clean water’, by developing solar-driven desalination (D) technologies using two different approaches: ‘direct solar-desalination’ and ‘indirect solar-desalination’. The first approach used feedwater heated directly by a solar thermal collector for vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) for a small residential scale. In contrast, the second approach targeted the indirect use of energy from a concentrated solar power (CSP) plant via more well-established desalination processes for large-scale applications. In the first approach, this thesis successfully designed and manufactured the first hollow fiber-based multi-effect VMD that can internally recover the latent heat of the permeate vapor between effects using metallic hollow helical baffles, reducing the energy consumption by more than 60% and producing up to 20 L/h at less than 2 USD per cubic meter of freshwater. In the second approach, detailed numerical simulations found that replacing the power block’s condenser with a multi-effect distillation (MED) system can significantly improve the CSP plant’s payback period by 5% – 13% but at the expense of reducing the thermal efficiency by 7% – 11.5%. Another solution is to utilize some of the generated electricity from the CSP plant to operate reverse osmosis (either on-site or at a facility near the coast); however, this was found to hurt the plant’s revenue since some of the valuable electricity generated is consumed by the RO plant, instead of being sold to the grid. Another CSP-D solution is to replace the conventional steam Rankine cycle with a supercritical CO2 cycle, which can provide the necessary high-temperature waste heat to a MED process without any thermal efficiency reduction. Overall, this thesis examines the potential of utilizing the endless supply of solar energy to produce sustainable clean energy and freshwater that can ‘green-terraform’ arid lands and help water-stressed communities

Optimization of Solar Thermal and Solar Photovoltaic Systems for Medium Temperature Industrial Applications

Solar-derived industrial heat could be derived from the solar resource available on factory rooftops from either solar thermal (ST) collectors, which can generate heat directly, or from solar photovoltaic modules (PV), which can indirectly generate heat through heat pumps or resistance heaters. At present, there is no mature solar technology exists which integrates both for medium temperature outputs, although this has certainly been the subject of a lot of recent research. Based on this assumption, this thesis investigates the potential of using ST and PV solar collectors in a side-by-side configuration for industry rooftops, ranging from 100% PV to 100% ST. Thus, the central question for this thesis is: What is the best ‘mix’ of solar technologies for factories around the world? To answer this, a simulation-based method was developed and applied, which considered several objective functions, including economic (levelized cost of energy), technical (overall performance) and environmental (embodied energy and emissions), and multi-objective combinations of these objectives. The economic function is dependent on the local cost parameters, thus, the levelized cost of energy was determined in several geographic locations. The technical function is also local and was determined through determining the annual transient performance of each technology for the proposed application. Additionally, the environmental function requires knowledge of the embodied energy and embodied greenhouse gas emissions that are associated with these solar technologies during their manufacturing stage. Global geographical locations were also analyzed to determine the equivalent carbon dioxide impact for the primary energy mix that the solar production offsets. Several parameters/ factors were analyzed to investigate their impacts on the system performance such as the load profile, load temperature, and various solar technologies. Sensitivity analyses were also conducted for the coefficient of performance and PV efficiency to analyze the impact of changing these parameters. The results revealed that these parameters are significant on the system output and can vary the optimum solar mix by up to 17%. The results indicate that the ST collector has a lower energy payback time (i.e. EPBT<1.2 years) in high direct normal irradiation locations and that a mix of technologies provides the fastest EBPT. The cost function was reduced using the solar mix (i.e. by up to 9.8% compared to ST alone). In terms of the greenhouse gas emission payback time (GHGe PBT), the findings do not reveal a conclusive verdict for or against ST versus PV technologies. Lastly, global maps were produced to present the optimum ‘mix’ and embodied impacts based upon the findings of these results. This thesis is significant as it presents a better way to make decisions about which solar technology to use, potentially enabling industrial customers to achieve better cost, performance and emissions outcomes from their operations