Parametric investigation of photovoltaic-thermal systems integrated with porous phase change material

Utilizing Phase Change Material (PCM) for thermal regulation of Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) systems is expedient. However, PCMs suffer from low thermal conductivity, which slows down the speed the heat transferred through the system. Existing studies have found ways to use porous materials to improve the thermo-physical properties of PCMs such as their electrical and thermal energy output while reducing losses via system. Porous materials have also been found to prolong the lifetime of PV/T systems by improving PV temperature distribution. This study aims to address the extant limitations of PCM by introducing a novel PV/T system integrated with porous PCM (PPCM). A 3D numerical model is employed to analyze the system's performance using different porous materials and working fluids. The proposed system is examined based on energy and exergy efficiency by employing different nanofluids. The parametric analysis finds that the performance of PV/T-PCM remarkably improves when nanofluid and PPCM replaced water and pure PCM. In addition, the exergy, electrical, and thermal efficiency enhancement of PV/T-PPCM with silver (Ag)/water 4% wt. is 1.16%, 1.5%, and 43.1% respectively, when compared to PV/T-PCM. Overall, this study contributes to different ways of enhancing electrical and thermal energy generation in a PV/T system.