The present study investigates the effect of nanofluids on a photovoltaic thermal solar system experimentally. Three different nanofluids, that is, MWCNT, Al_2O_3, and TiO_2, are considered to act as a coolant to reduce the PV panel temperature at constant volume ratio of 0.3. A parametric analysis was carried out in outdoor conditions for measuring the energy and exergy efficiency of the system. In addition to the above, the effect of nanofluids mass flow rate on thermal efficiency and PV temperature was studied. The nanoparticles were dispersed evenly by using ultrasonication process and it was ensured that there were zero deposits. However, the addition of nanofluids alters the thermophysical properties of the base fluid. By analysing the experimental results, it is found that the addition of nanofluids showed profound results in electrical output, thermal efficiency, and overall efficiency. Besides that, all results highly depend on the solar irradiance. All nanofluids MWCNT, Al_2O_3, and TiO_2 showed potential results by reporting 45, 36, and 25 increase in electrical power and 47, 33, and 27 improvement in electrical efficiency, respectively. Moreover, MWCNT showed superior thermal conductivity and better physical properties than water, Al_2O_3, and TiO_2. From the obtained results, it is evident that the efficiency of the system can be enhanced by improving the mass flow rate of nanofluids.
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