The investigation of photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collectors has been carried out. The advantages of PV/T collectors
and low solar concentration technologies are combined into a PV/T system operated at elevated temperature to
increase the solar energy conversion efficiency. The main novelty is the coupling of a linear Fresnel mirror reflecting
concentrator with a channel PV/T collector. Concentrator PV/T collectors can operate at temperatures above 100
°C, so the thermal energy can drive processes such as refrigeration, desalination and steam production. Cooling of
photovoltaic is one of the main concerns when designing concentrating photovoltaic systems. Cells may
experience both short-term (efficiency loss) and long-term (irreversible damage) degradation due to excess
temperatures. The thermal system, the electric and thermal performance of the absorber for linear Fresnel
reflecting solar device is studied. Analytical thermal performance of the solar system gives values of efficiency
above 60%. The combined electric and thermal (CET) efficiency is high, nearly 80%. Theoretical analyses confirm
that thermal conduction between the solar cells and the absorber plate is a critical parameter. |
