Evaluation of Symmetric C-PVT Solar Collector Designs with Vertical Bifacial Receivers

Photovoltaic thermal (PVT) solar collectors can be an effective solution for system output improvement. Photovoltaic thermal collectors naturally have a more expensive receiver than simpler photovoltaic or thermal only collectors, therefore making concentration a more appealing solution to achieve cost reduction. However, concentrating systems need careful analysis on the design phase in order to optimize the annual output. In addition, for stationary (non-tracking) collectors, it is critical to determine the incidence angle modifier (IAM).For this reason, a reflector study was carried out to determine suitable reflector designs for a stationary concentrating PVT collector. The reflectors were simulated using a Monte Carlo raytracing software called Tonatiuh. The two selected reflectors designs were named “pure parabola” (PP) and “compound parabolic concentrator” (CPC). The concentration ratio of 1.2 and 1.6 were selected for each reflector designs, which means a total of 4 collector troughs. The next step involved the construction of the two selected C-PVT collector designs, which were built and subsequently tested by the authors. The IAM was assessed and discussed by simulation and outdoor testing in detail.The IAM results show similar decreases in longitudinal IAM for both the PP and the CPC CPVT collector for the 1.2 concentration factor. For the transversal IAM with 1.2 of concentration factor, the CPC over performs. For the 1.6 concentration prototype collectors, the results are fairly similar. Lastly, the annual output was also simulated and presented