Seasonal Analysis of Solar Energy Utilization Effect of Air-based PVT System by Comparing with Photovoltaic System

Recently, the use of new and renewable energy for suppressing the generation of carbon dioxide to prevent global warming has attracted considerable attention. Among the various new and renewable energy sources, solar energy has been attracting increasing interest for the reduction of building energy, as it is easy to implement in buildings and excellent for maintenance and repair. Therefore, in this study, an air-based photovoltaic thermal (PVT) system, which can increase the utilization of solar energy, was compared with the existing PV system through measurements. The PVT system can increases the amount of power generated by reducing the temperature of the panel via the air passing through the lower part of the panel. Furthermore, useing the air whose temperature has been increased by the heat obtained from the panel for indoor heating or hot water supply in the building is possible. The performance of existing PV and PVT panels was measured under the same weather conditions, and result indicated that the power generation efficiency of PVT panels, through which the air passes was higher than that of PV panels. Furthermore, the air whose temperature was increased to ≥ 40°C by the PVT system may be utilized for heating and hot water supply. Overall, by utilizing solar power, air-based PVT systems can utilize 3.4 ~ 3.9 times more solar power than can conventional PVs.