Comparative evaluation of different patterns for a solar system with a semi-transparent photovoltaic module absorber

Lower unit cost and acceptable efficiency are two important factors in choosing a domestic solar collector. Due to its simplicity and integrated structure, the passive photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) solar system offers a promising part of the co-generation of water heating and electricity in varied climates. In this paper to the aim of looking at solar costs and improving energy conversion efficiency, a new passive PVT solar system has been proposed. This system includes a semi-transparent a-Si solar module, which in addition to generating electricity acts as a solar absorber. The semi-transparent a–Si solar cell is selected because of its useful features that help reduce module cost such as the relatively small amount of silicon and energy used in their manufactures. In the present work, the four different cases of passive PVT systems have been simulated and compared. The results show that the case number one includes glass cover and semi-transparent a-Si module has simpler design and better performance than other designs. The results show that the case number one, which includes glass cover and semi-transparent a-Si module, has higher thermal efficiency than case number 3 and 4 and higher power output than the other 3 cases. For case number one thermal efficiency and electrical efficiency is achieved as 76-84% and 8.94% -9.87%, respectively.