Search

Scientists initiated a pursuit of more resilient and long-lasting energy sources due to the continuous deterioration of the environment and the substantial rise in the expense of conventional energy sources. Solar energy is one of the most cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and easily accessible sustainable energy sources. Photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar modules are gaining popularity due to their ability to utilise more solar radiation to generate electric power and heat gain simultaneously. This study reviews recent advancements in PV/T modules, focusing on the dual conversion of solar radiation into electrical and thermal energy. The review highlights significant improvements, such as the use of nanoparticles, bi-fluid circulation, and innovative cooling techniques. The study examined the main categories of PV/T systems, including air-cooled, water-cooled, bi-fluid-cooled, nano-fluid-cooled, and ternary nanofluid-based units. This paper offers an in-depth analysis of various components within PV/T modules, covering aspects such as concepts, materials, and review techniques. However, challenges remain, including the trade-off between thermal and electrical efficiency and integration into existing infrastructure. Despite these limitations, PV/T systems show great potential for contributing to sustainable energy solutions and achieving global sustainable development goals. Future research directions include integrating an artificially intelligent approach for system optimization and expanding hybrid PV/T technologies. [Display omitted] • A graphical summary of the PV/T types is demonstrated. • Sustainability achievements by the PV/T modules are discussed. • Water, air, nanofluid, and bi-fluid-based coolants are summarised. • Ternary nanofluid-based PV/T is reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first part of this paper assesses the state of solar PV in Hungary, considering available government support in terms of policies, targets, and the conducive environment for exploiting solar PV. The study further analyses a 15-year-old 9.6 kWp roof-mount grid-connected solar PV system whiles comparing its performance parameters with similar installations in the sub-region. Findings show that Hungary possesses a relatively high solar energy resource which has not been exploited as expected compared to most of the countries in the European sub-region. Hungary has in place the necessary policies and diverse incentives for the adaptation of renewable energy sources as required by the European Union. However, complexities in land acquisition and legal definitions of PV systems still exist. The installed solar PV capacity in Hungary as of 2018, is 790 MWp. The target of the Hungarian Renewable Action Plan is to have 14.65% of the electricity demand supplied by renewable energy sources by 2020. The experimental study shows that the total energy output from the 9.6 kWp system is 8838.95 kWh for the year of assessment. The energy outputs for the subsystems are 3761.98 kWh, 2608.88 kWh and 2468.10 kWh for ASE (pc-Si), DS2 (a-Si) and DS1 (a-Si) respectively. The annual sub-system efficiencies are 9.8%, 2.9% and 2.8% for ASE (pc-Si), DS2 (a-Si) and DS1 (a-Si) respectively. Thus, 42.6% of energy fed into the grid was from the ASE (pc-Si) system, 29.5% and 27.9% from the DS2 (a-Si), and DS1 (a-Si) respectively. • The state of solar PV in Hungary and the related policies for adaptation reviewed. • Long term assessment of different grid-connected solar PV systems studied. • Performance ratios of studied PV systems range between 55.6 and 77.2%. • System efficiencies vary from 2.8% to 11.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliability assessment of Photovoltaic (PV) modules is very crucial to increase the service lifetime of PV systems. This study assesses the degradation rate and reliability of PV modules operated for twelve years under the tropical climatic condition in sub-Saharan. For this purpose, various characterization techniques, namely visual inspection, infrared (IR) thermography assessment, and current-voltage (I-V) characterization, have been employed to evaluate the performance of PV modules. Moreover, the functioning of bypass diodes has been tested under partial shading situations. The results demonstrate that after twelve years of outdoor operation, the short-circuit current (I sc) of modules have been degraded up to 16.4% with an average decrease of 11.7% compared to the nameplate values. The open-circuit voltages (V oc) were reduced from 11.4% to 17.1% with a mean of 14.8%. The decline in Fill Factor (FF) of the modules ranges from 11.3% to 24.2%, and the losses of power output were between 34.5% and 41.4%. Moreover, the visual and thermography assessment reveals that the PV modules are severely affected by various failures such as EVA browning, cell interconnects ribbons browning and the corrosion of solder bonds. The results show that averagely, the FF is the most significant factor influencing the loss in the power output of the modules. • Degradation of PV modules under hot, humid tropical climate for 12 years assessed. • PV module characteristics normalized at STC using derived translation equations. • Influence of module parameters on degradation evaluated using regression analysis. • The average degradation of nominal power is 3.19%/year. • The combination of Isc-Voc had the most impact on the variation of nominal power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]