Solar Assisted Heat Pump Water Heater Using Photovoltaic-Thermal Collector Evaporator and Its Building Energy Saving Performance

Solar assisted heat pump (SAHP) water heater based on photovoltaic/thermal collector evaporator (PV/T SAHP) can effectively improve the solar energy conversion efficiency by realizing the all-round application of solar energy, PV and photothermal. The heat generated in a PV/T collector evaporator is taken away by the refrigerant and supplied to the heat pump cycle, which can increase the heat pump's evaporation temperature as well as its performance; meantime, the solar cell's temperature decreases and the photoelectric conversion efficiency can be enhanced. The performance of PV/T SAHP system is studied theoretically and experimentally, and tested under different conditions. Conventional SAHP and uncooled solar panels are set as the control group. Compared with uncooled solar panels, PV/T SAHP can effectively reduce the temperature of solar cells and improve the photoelectric conversion power. The average error of the numerical simulation model is about 5%, which can meet the needs of engineering application. The optimum installation angle of the collector evaporator in Shanghai is calculated, which is 27 degrees. The annual operation of PV/T SAHP in IP: 49 24 253 194 On: Fri 23 Jul 2021 07 37 33 Shanghai is simulated and predicted. Among them, the average COP i3.71, the average collecting efficiency Copyright: Amer can Scientific Publis hers is 0.71, and the average comprehensive utilization efficiency of solar energy is 1.04, which can maintain good Delivered by Ingenta working performance throughout the year.