Performance Assessment of Concentrated Photovoltaic Thermal (CPVT) Solar Collector at Different Locations

Abstract

The double MaReCo (symmetric reflector geometry) solar collector (DM-CPVT) has been designed and developed by MG Sustainable Engineering AB (MG) and the University of Gävle (HiG). Performance and overall electrical and thermal parameters of the collector have been studied and presented. The outdoor tests have been performed in both Sweden during the summer months of 2020 and Greece in September of 2020. The goal of the studied designs is to optimize the incoming solar radiation that can be collected without the need for tracking. This is possible due to the use of a symmetric reflector geometry with low concentration factor and lower collector depth. The use of a symmetric reflector geometry allows higher annual outputs worldwide. Furthermore, a low concentration factor is necessary to avoid tracking and a lower collector depth to reduce the shading, which is particularly important for the electrical production of these DM-CPVT design concepts. The testing facilities in both locations are also described in this paper. The information on the thermal performance of a collector is important for the prediction of the energy output of any solar system. The thermal properties assessment of the DM-CPVT collector followed the procedures of the ISO 9806:2017 standard and reported. The outdoor testing results have been validated with a deviation of 2.8% and 2.4% for both thermal and electrical peak efficiencies between the testing facilities, respectively. Regarding the Incidence Angle Modifier testing results, the deviation is negligible for all angles of incidence, which shows that outdoor testing procedures can be fairly accurate when tracking systems are not available.