PVT

Scientists in Thailand have simulated an indirect-expansion photovoltaic-thermal-assisted heat pump and measured its performance under various cold water temperatures and tank sizes.

The South Korean government says all public parking lots larger than 1,000 square meters will be required to install solar power systems from the end of this month, as part of a nationwide policy to accelerate renewable energy adoption in urban areas.

Researchers in China developed a large-scale PV-thermal heat pump system using a liquid overfeed method that reportedly improves both thermal and electrical efficiency. Field tests showed up to a 4.81% boost in power generation and significantly reduced pressure losses compared to conventional systems.

Researchers in the Netherlands have simulated a residential energy system combining PV, solar thermal, and PV-thermal panels with aquifer thermal energy storage and a heat pump, achieving a seasonal coefficient of performance of seven across five buildings.

Researchers in India say that photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) systems offer greater performance stability than conventional PV systems in hot climates. Using irradiance and temperature data, the team applied a Random Forest model that predicted efficiency classes with 97% accuracy.

Researchers in Germany have modeled dozens of indirect-expansion solar-assisted heat pump systems using photovoltaic-thermal panels for single-family homes in Munich, Berlin, and Hamburg. Simulations accounted for local weather, electricity use, and thermal demand.

Researchers from the Middle East have simulated a novel PV thermal module which includes a thermoelectric generator above the absorber layer, conical helical tape in the cooling tube and a ferrofluid. These technologies reportedly contributed to increased PV efficiency and thermal efficiency by 2.12% and 23.34%, respectively.

Researchers in Italy have designed a novel carbon dioxide heat pump that can work with photovoltaic-thermal energy, a finned coil heat exchanger and a U-tube borehole heat exchanger. Their experiment has shown that the simultaneous use of at least two energy sources always results in improved system performance even with limited heat transfer areas.

Scientists have designed a PVT-driven direct contact membrane distillation system for off-grid applications. The system is intended for desalination purposes in remote areas.

Scientists created a model to study bifacial PV thermal (BPVT) solar panels using jet impingement and built an experimental setup to validate it. They achieved a thermal efficiency of 62.28%, while electrical efficiency peaked at 11.22%.