Thermal Modeling of Concentrated Photovoltaic Thermal System at Different Operating Conditions Available to Purchase

Concentrated photovoltaic thermal system is a reliable solar energy system that utilizes sunlight of higher concentration on a photovoltaic cell to generate energy that is superior to conventional solar systems due to fewer space requirements and high electrical and thermal efficiencies. The primary objective of this thesis was to test two operating conditions of the concentrated photovoltaic thermal system and find the condition that delivers maximum output when compared to the other. The first condition tested in this research included variable velocity of water flowing in the cooling channel while a constant amount of heat flux was applied on the photovoltaic cells. The second tested condition included constant velocity of water flowing in the cooling channel while varying the amount of heat flux applied on the photovoltaic cells. Through mathematical modeling, that includes, thermal modeling and energy analysis was carried out for the concentrated photovoltaic thermal system along with simulations of the system that were performed using a three-dimensional finite element analysis software called Ansys Workbench (Fluent). The results from this research provide a useful path in improving the efficiency of the concentrated photovoltaic thermal system.