Digital mapping of techno-economic performance of a water-based solarphotovoltaic/thermal (PVT) system for buildings over large geographical cities

Solar photovoltaic thermal (PVT) is an emerging technology, capable of producing electrical and thermal energyusing a single collector. However, to achieve larger market penetration for this technology, it is imperative to havean understanding of the energetic performance for different climatic conditions and the economic performanceunder various financial scenarios. This paper thus presents a techno-economic evaluation of a typical water basedPVT system for electricity and domestic hot water applications in 85 locations worldwide. The simulations areperformed using a validated tool with one-hour time step for output. The thermal performance of the collector isevaluated using energy utilization ratio as efficiency as key performance indicators, which are further visualizedby the digital mapping approach. The economic performance is assessed using net present value and paybackperiod under two financial scenarios: (1) total system cost as a capital investment in the first year; (2) only 25 %of total system cost is a capital investment and remaining 75 % investment is considered with financing periodwith certain interest rate. The results show that such a PVT system has better energy performance for the locationswith a low annual ambient temperature and vice versa. Furthermore, it is seen that the system boundaries, such asload profile, hot water storage volume, etc., can have a significant effect on the annual energy production of thesystem. Economic analysis indicates that the average net present values per unit collector area are 1800 € and2200 € respectively among the 85 cities for financial model 1 and financial model 2. Nevertheless, from thepayback period point of view, financial model 1 is recommended for the locations with high interest rate. Thestudy is helpful to set an understanding of general factors influencing the techno-economic performance of PVTsystems.