| Abstract |
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Photovoltaic panels’ efficiency strongly depends on temperatures. In hot weather, the yield of the PV panels is low due to the fact that the absorbed solar radiation which is not converted into electricity rises the PV cells’ temperature, causing the decline of the electrical efficiency. In the proposed method, we developed a support comprising a heat exchanger on which the photovoltaic panel will be installed. This is an application of a relatively new technology. The resulting component photovoltaic/heat exchanger not only will produce electricity, but will also serve as heat source because the amount of solar energy absorbed and converted into heat can be recovered and used for heating or for domestic uses. In this study, a hybrid prototype is developed and experimental measurements carried out to evaluate the electrical and thermal performance. Thus, a significant improvement of the electrical yield is realized and hot water is produced that can be used for domestic uses. Then, a comparison is done between the hybrid prototype and a simple PV panel with the same characteristics, which is installed on a simple support. We also determine the behavior of the panel’s exchange coefficient as a function of the water outlet temperature. The results of this experiment show that the hybrid prototype can be a good alternative to simple photovoltaic modules. |
