Parametric Investigation and Optimization of the Photovoltaic-Thermal Air Heater

Abstract

Co-generation of heat and electricity from solar cells is an energy efficient option because the photovoltaic (PV) efficiency is less than twenty percent, the rest goes to heat. In this paper, the heat emitted from the PV panel is used to produce hot air which is useful heat and to reduce the PV cell temperature thereby increasing the system performance. Independent parameters include air mass flow rate (), air channel height (H), PV panel aspect ratio (R_a), and environmental parameters (temperature, wind velocity, solar intensity) to investigate their influence on power and heat generation, and performances. The mathematical description of the system is formed using a lumped parameter model. The analytical results show that the overall performance is maximized at certain design parameters. This phenomenon is due to the trade-off between power generation, heat output, and fan power with a design specification. Optimizing the overall efficiency using a genetic algorithm (GA), which is a metaheuristic based on the principles of natural selection and categorized as part of the broader group of evolutionary algorithms, yields the maximum value of 98.76% at the optimal parameters = 0.3032 kg/s, H = 27.37 mm, and R_a = 1.809.