Simulation of Concentrating Photovoltaic/Thermal System Based on Jet Cooling

Solar Concentrating Photovoltaic/Thermal (CPV/T) system combined with cooling device has attracted attention as highly photoelectric conversion efficiency, but uneven distribution of irradiation on the PV cell surface would lead to the uneven distribution of cell surface temperature, which would result in drop of power generation. In this paper, three different simulation modules are established based on the analysis results of Fresnel lens optical simulation, the electric equivalent model of solar cell and the simulation analysis results of jet cooling in a CPV/T system. Through the simulation of 100 groups of cell components connected in series, the following conclusions are obtained: solar irradiance, temperature and circulating water mass flow rate are the main factors that affect the performance of the CPV/T system based on jet cooling. The increase of irradiation intensity is beneficial to maintain higher output of PV power. The temperature inhomogeneity of the CPV/T system with the existence of jet cooling decrease, which is beneficial to improve the system performance. Finally, the increase of mass flow rate improves the stability of the overall system, but it is recommended to set the optimal mass flow rate between 0.08kg/s and 0.1kg/s after comprehensive consideration.