HYBRID PHOTOVOLTAIC-THERMAL SYSTEMS USING DIETHYL ETHER FOR EXTREME WINTER CONDITIONS

Abstract-Water with a comfortable temperature for domestic applications is an acute problem for the people residing in the extreme cold weather conditions or areas with a mild amount of sunlight or insolation. This research deals with generating warm water for these conditions using improvised photovoltaic (PV) panels. PV panels have the ability of concentrating the heat due to the incident solar insolation thereby increasing its temperature much above the ambient temperature. The efficiency of PV panels is also a function of temperature with an optimum performance temperature limited to 25 o C. Efficiency decreases by 0.5%/K after 25oC.The surface temperature of the PV panel increases due to concentration of heat, attaining 50-60 o C above 25 o C. This research articulates modelling of integrated hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermal (PV-T) system utilizing diethyl ether for generating warm water with simultaneous cooling of PV panels thereby increasing its efficiency. This objective was addressed with a heat exchanger in a cubical enclosure made of aluminium with solar cells occupying its top surface and acting as a heat input. The enclosure consist of ether as a heat storage and transmitting medium with circulating water inside the pipes as heat absorber. Ether was selected due to its boiling point of 34°C which would be able to transfer heat to the water until water attains a temperature of 34°C. Ether proved to be a viable option with 4.9°C reduction in surface temperature of the panels and also generating warm water at 34°C.