A simulation of the performance of PV- thermal (PVT) systems for residential application in Tokyo

摘要

Although PV-thermal (PVT) technology which simultaneously produces not only electricity but also heat has a long history, they are still under development. The objectives of this study are investigating PVT performance installed in Tokyo by simulation, evaluating matching with PV cell type and estimating possible primary energy reduction when PVT systems are used in 12 sample houses. PV cells of crystalline silicon, amorphous silicon and multi-crystalline silicon were examined in this study. TRNSYS modeling technique was employed to simulate the behavior of PVT systems with a hot water storage tank. The results indicate that optimal water flow rate in the collector loop is 35 kg/h for all types of PVT collectors for the collector areas of 4 and 6 m2. According to the comparison with individual PV and solar water heater of the same aperture area, it was found that PVT system would replace primary fuel consumption with solar energy the most effectively, approximately 1.5-2 times larger reduction than the conventional devices. PVT with crystalline silicon cells achieves the highest primary energy reduction among three PV cell types. The results suggest that PVT for residential application is enough useful to utilize solar energy under the climatic conditions of Japan.