Photovoltaic Solar Thermal (PV/T) Collectors Past, Present and Future: A Review

摘要

Every day more research is made in the field of solar energy specifically in hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collectors, which is a combination of both solar technologies. Researchers have targeted this system configuration because it has an improved overall efficiency, with a comparison to both photovoltaic (PV) and solar collectors, and it saves space using one area for two systems instead of using two zones. The majority of researchers presented new models/designs while others provide studies on pre-existing ones for different environmental conditions. However, it is important to review their work to find key ideas to consider for future works and to capture the limitations of research in this field. This paper presents principles of PV/T collectors, classification, history of research, major aspects in PV/T research and critical review of the presented review literature, as well as the PV aspect of the system. More focus in this study is directed towards the electrical side, in particular, the PV part of the system.