Improvement of Energy Efficiency of Solar Hybrid Water Collectors

Photo Energy conversion is a direct conversion that allows the generation of electricity by photovoltaic cells and heat by thermal collectors. Much of the solar irradiation is lost by reflection and another great part is lost by heating of the solar cells. The concept of hybrid photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collector consists of superimposing the two electrical energy and thermal functions. The heat transfer fluid (water) is channeled, allowing easy circulation to outside. The weakening and falling thermal efficiency allowed to find new solutions that solve this problem by integrating heat exchangers below the solar cells. The creation of hybrid PVT water collector with reflectors allowing to increase the electrical power while allowing the temperature of the thermal heating to decrease, hence improvement of electrical and thermal efficiency. In this work we have realized a hybrid photovoltaic water collectors with reflectors. This is in the aim to concentrate the solar fluxes and increase the electrical and thermal performances of the latter. The main results were presented. Both electric and thermal efficiencies of studied hybrid collector were improved.