Techno-economic and environmental evaluation of photovoltaic-thermal collector design with pork fat as phase change material

This novel photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) collector work design was proposed and experimentally tested in Mediterranean climate conditions. The integral evaluation of the PVT collector design was obtained considering performance, economic and environmental aspects. The specific PVT design consisted of four cooling blocks, where each block was equipped with straight pipes (water as working fluid) and a plexiglass container filled with organic phase change material (PCM), i.e. pork fat. The system was monitored for several months where the maximum reached overall energy efficiency of the examined system was 62.2%. However, the average annual estimated overall energy efficiency is expected to be lower than 50%. The economic analysis showed that the levelized cost of overall produced energy from the PVT collector would range from 0.056 to 0.083 V/kWh. The environmental impact analysis evaluated the PVT system in terms of material use concluding that the PV panel itself, and the use of aluminium are the most critical parameters regarding the environmental impact. (c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study proposed and experimentally tested a novel photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) collector design under Mediterranean climate conditions. The integral evaluation of the PVT collector design considered performance, economic, and environmental aspects. The results showed high overall energy efficiency, although the average annual overall energy efficiency was expected to be lower. The economic analysis indicated a range of levelized cost for the produced energy. The environmental impact analysis identified PV panel and aluminum use as critical parameters regarding the environmental impact.