Numerical study of a covered Photovoltaic-Thermal Collector (PVT) enhancement using nanofluids

The hybrid PVT has been designed to simultaneously provide both electrical and thermal energy. This dual operation reduces the cell temperature by extracting heat by coolant fluid. By this way, the global efficiency of the solar system is increased.This present study aims to examine the effect of dispersing Copper (Cu) and Alumina (Al2O3) nanoparticles in pure water on the performances of the hybrid system. To achieve our goal, a mathematical model has been established derive from applying of energy balance equations. The validity of the numerical model developed is checked by comparing the prediction results of the current study with the experimental data reported in the previous studies. The obtained results show that using Cu-water nanofluid can provide a better enhancement of the system performances compared to Al2O3-water. Moreover the results indicate that by using 2% volume fraction of the copper nanoparticles, the thermal and electrical efficiency for Cuwater nanofluid reached an enhancement of 4.1% and 1.9% respectively compared to pure water. The developed model is applied to evaluate the daily electrical and thermal powers generated by the hybrid system during a typical day for the weather conditions of Agadir city (Morocco).