Simulation Study on Performance of Pv-Pcm-Te System for Year-Round Analysis

A novel photovoltaic (PV) system integrated with phase change material (PCM) and thermoelectric (TE) module was proposed in this study. The system was design to increase the electricity output by attaching the PCM and TE module to the PV cell optimally. To compare the system with PV-TE system and single PV system, a numerical model was established to study the performance of the three systems on solar cell temperature, efficiency and output power. The results showed the solar cell temperature of PV-PCM-TE system was decreased from 79.72 °C to 57.39 °C compared with single PV system, while the PV-TE system was 73.62 °C. The annual average efficiency of the PV-PCM-TE system, the PV-TE system and the single PV system were 17.57%, 17.15% and 15.95%, respectively. The all-year electricity generation were 341.97kWh, 333.87kWh and 310.47kWh, respectively. The efficiency of the PV-PCM-TE system was increased by 10.15% and 2.37% than that of the single PV system and PV-TE system respectively. It confirmed the proposed PV-PCM-TE system had the best performance. The performance characteristic in typical days in summer and winter was analyzed, suggesting that it was much more necessary to use PCM and TE module to cool the PV cell in summer