Comparative Experimental Investigation on Front Cooling for Tempered Glass Photovoltaic Thermal System

Photovoltaic (PV) technology that converts solar energy into electricity is projected to play a significant role in renewable development in Malaysia. However, its electrical efficiency decreases with the increase in cell temperature. Therefore, a photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) system uses water to boost electrical efficiency by cooling PV cells. The PV/T system, on the other hand, is the combination of solar PV and solar thermal collector (STC) to simultaneously produce electricity and heated flowing fluid. This research study fabricated monocrystalline and polycrystalline PV panels with tempered glass and epoxy lamination to compare with front flow cooling PV/T systems using similar panels. The experiment with real-time data recording on power output and surface temperature was performed at Wisma R&D, the University of Malaya, during clear sunny weather in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The highest daily electrical efficiency for Monocrystalline PV/T is 16.05%, while Polycrystalline PV/T produces 15% efficiency at a flow rate of 1.3 LPM. In comparison, monocrystalline and polycrystalline PVs have an average electrical efficiency of 14.54% and 13.80%, respectively. The highest thermal efficiency for Monocrystalline and Polycrystalline PV/T was 41.26% and 47.71% at a flow rate of 0.8 LPM. Monocrystalline PV/T has the best electrical efficiency, whereas Polycrystalline PV/T is the best for thermal efficiency.