A Novel Hybrid Photovoltaic/Thermal Bi-Fluid (Air/Water) Solar Collector: An Experimental Investigation

This work deals with the construction, and the experimentation of a Bi-fluid (air/water) hybrid photovoltaic/thermal solar collector intended for the residential sector. The hybrid PV/T collector consists mainly of à 185Wp mono-crystalline photovoltaic module, a copper radiator for the circulation of water, and a ribbed metal absorber with fins. The copper radiator and the absorber were glued to the backside of the PV module. This structure was mounted in an insulated box with reservation of a rectangular duct for the air circulation between the absorber and the insulation panel of the box. An experimental bench was set up to evaluate the energy performance of the designed collector under real operating conditions. The obtained results showed that the proposed configuration of the bi-fluid PV/T collector both allows the air to be heated to temperatures appropriate for the intended application (space heating) and to recover additional calories by a second fluid (water) at appropriate temperatures (40–45 °C). Hot water can be used for a double purpose; a direct consumption in a building, and to prolong the production of hot air by a simple recirculation of the stored hot water in the radiator. The average of thermal, electrical, and overall energy efficiencies evaluated for this configuration are very important with values of 56.96%, 13.6%, and 94.53%, respectively.