Performance assessment of a serpentine tube PVT system using Cu and TiO2 nanofluids: an experimental study

A high photovoltaic (PV) panel temperature causes a reduction in the terminal voltage that results in low output power. Therefore, the extraction of heat from PV panels is a very important and crucial area to enhance the electrical power output. A PVT (Photovoltaic-Thermal) is a combined version of photovoltaics and solar thermal collector to generate electrical and thermal energies. Despite its popularity, the thermo-electrical performance of water-based PVT systems is not up to the mark because of the poor thermal conductivity of water. The present work experimentally investigates the concentration and MFR (mass flow rate) variations of copper (Cu) and titanium oxide (TiO2) nanofluids on the performance of a hybrid PVT system. The developed model is deployed to examine the performance of the PVT system for the weather conditions of Ghaziabad city (India). The research outcomes show how the PVT with Cu/water nanofluid exhibits a better thermo-electrical performance as compared to the PVT with TiO2/water nanofluid and water cooling. The results also show that using Cu/water nanofluid (1 vol %) as a coolant improved the PVT electrical efficiency by 5.98% concerning the basefluid. At a higher MFR, the average PV panel temperature is reduced that results in better cooling of the PVT system. At 0.03 kg/s MFR, a reduction in 17.18 degrees C temperature in the PV panel enhances the thermo-electrical efficiency by 2.58% and 5.43%, respectively. [GRAPHICS] .