Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 42 (2015) 1428–1436

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Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rser

Historical and recent development of photovoltaic thermal (PVT)

technologies
Anil Kumar n, Prashant Baredar, Uzma Qureshi
Energy Centre, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, India

art ic l e i nf o a b s t r a c t

Article history: In the context of climate change in the world at the global level, various actions are taken for the
Received 19 June 2014 development of renewable Energy and particularly solar energy which have potential for future energy
Received in revised form applications. The current popular technology converts solar energy into electricity and heat separately. The
20 October 2014
photovoltaic thermal (PVT) system is designed to generate thermal and electrical energy simultaneously. A
Accepted 4 November 2014
Available online 21 November 2014
major research and development work on the photovoltaic thermal (PVT) hybrid technology has been
done since last 30 years. Different types of solar thermal collector and new materials for PV cells have been
Keywords: developed for efficient solar energy utilization. The photovoltaic (PV) cells suffer efficiency drop as their
PVT operating temperature increases especially under high insolation levels. The overall electrical efficiency of
Heat extraction unit
the photovoltaic (PV) module can be increased by reducing the temperature of the PV module by
Design parameters
withdrawing the thermal energy associated with the PV module. Both water and air either by forced or
Thermal modeling
Solar insolation in India natural flow has been used for PV cooling through a thermal unit attached to the back of the module
yielding photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collector. The main purpose of heat extraction unit is to extract heat
from the photovoltaic system and keep its temperature at satisfactory level so that it can work efficiently.
Till date many researchers have done a lot of work and number of studies have been carried out in
designing, simulation, modeling, and testing of these systems. This paper reviews on the state and
development of PVT technology around the world but the studies includes experimental and analytical are
mainly focused on photovoltaic thermal technologies at the Indian subcontinent.
& 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contents

1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1429
2. Concept of photovoltaic–thermal (PVT) systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1429
3. Types of PVT systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1429
3.1. Liquid PVT collector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1429
3.2. Air PVT collectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1431
3.3. Building-integrated air PVT (BIPVT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1431
3.4. Concentrator PVT system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1431
3.5. Heat-pipe-based PVT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1432
4. Advancements in recent years and future directions of PVT in India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1433
5. Case study of a PVT system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1433
5.1. Details of the system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1434
5.2. Analysis of the observed data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1434
6. Historical review on PVT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1434
7. Recent trend in PVT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1435
8. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1435
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1435

n
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: anilkumar76@gmail.com (A. Kumar).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2014.11.044
1364-0321/& 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 A. Kumar et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 42 (2015) 1428–1436
1. Introduction
The solar energy is a renewable, eco friendly and freely available
energy resource on earth. Its use will ensure the conservation of
conventional energy sources and at the same time its application
protects the environment from its degradation. Among all the
available renewable options, solar energy seems to be more promis-
ing, sustainable energy resources. Thus, the solar energy based
systems can meet energy demands to some extent and keep the
balance in the ecosystem. Solar radiations can be converted into
either thermal energy or electrical energy or both [1].
Solar thermal energy collectors are special kind of heat
exchangers that convert solar radiation into thermal energy
through a transport medium and/or moving fluid. The major
component of any solar system is the solar collector. This is a
device which absorbs the incoming solar radiation, converts it into
heat energy, and transfers it through a fluid (usually air, water, or
oil) for useful purpose/applications. Generally, they are used as air
dryer/heater for drying the agricultural products and/or heating/
cooling applications in combination with the auxiliary heaters for
air conditioning of buildings [2].
Photovoltaic (PV) is the most useful way of utilizing solar
energy by directly converting it into electricity. Energy conversion
devices, which are used to convert sunlight to electricity by the
use of the photoelectric effect are called solar cells. A photovoltaic
system consists of solar cells and ancillary components. It converts
the solar radiation directly into electricity. In 1954, researchers at
the Bell Telephone Laboratories demonstrated the first practical
conversion of solar radiation into electric energy by use of a p–n
junction type solar cell with 6% efficiency [3]. With the advent of
the space program, photovoltaic cells made from semiconductor-
grade silicon quickly became the power source of choice for use in
satellites. The common solar power conversion efficiencies are
between 15 and 20% [4].
However, today a new area has emerged incorporating both the
methods of energy conversion, which can be called photo thermo
conversion [5]. The solar energy conversion into electricity and
heat with a single device called hybrid photovoltaic thermal
collector (PVT) as illustrated in Fig. 1. In this way, heat and power
are produced simultaneously and it seems a logical idea to develop
a device that can comply with both demands.
A compressive review of all recent development and applica-
tions of PVT are presented in this work. In Section 1, introduction
Fig. 1. Schematic of various solar technologies.
1429
of the PVT is there; Section 2 describe about the concept of PVT
system; Section 3 discuss the comprehensive review of various
types of PVT systems; Section 4 investigates the advancement in
recent years and future directions of PVT in India; Section 5
discuss the case study of a PVT System; Section 6 investigates
the Historical Review on PVT; Section 7 discuss the recent trend on
PVT; Section 8 includes the conclusion of this communication
2. Concept of photovoltaic–thermal (PVT) systems
A PV–thermal (PVT) collector is a module in which the PV is not
only producing electricity but also serves as a thermal absorber. In
this way both heat and power are produced simultaneously [2].
The schematic of the PVT technologies is presented in Fig. 1. The
dual functions of the PVT result in a higher overall solar conversion
rate than that of solely PV or solar collector, and thus enable a
more effective use of solar energy. Since the demand for solar heat
and solar electricity are often supplementary, it seems to be a
logical idea to develop a device that can comply with both
demands. Photovoltaic (PV) cells utilize a fraction of the incident
solar radiation to produce electricity and the remaining is turned
mainly into waste heat in the cells and substrate raising the
temperature of PV as a result, the efficiency of the module
decreased. The photovoltaic thermal (PVT) technology recovers
part of this heat and uses it for practical applications.
The simultaneous cooling of the PV module maintains electrical
efficiency at satisfactory level and thus the PVT collector offers a
better way of utilizing solar energy with higher overall efficiency.
There are alternative approaches in PVT integration. Among many
others, there can be selections among air, water or evaporative
collectors, monocrystalline/polycrystalline/amorphous silicon (c-Si/
pc-Si/a-Si) or thin-film solar cells, flat-plate or concentrator types,
glazed or unglazed panels, natural or forced fluid flow, standalone or
building-integrated features, etc. A major research and development
work on the PVT technology has been conducted in the past few
years with a gradual increase in the level of activities.
The attractive features of the PVT system are [6]:

It is dual-purpose: the same system can be used to produce
electricity and heat output.

It is efficient and flexible: the combined efficiency is always
higher than using two independent systems and is especially
attractive in building integrated PV (BIPV) when roof-panel
spacing is limited.

It has a wide application: the heat output can be used both for
heating and cooling (desiccant cooling) applications depending
on the season and practically being suitable for domestic
applications.

It is cheap and practical: it can be easily retrofitted/integrated
to building without any major modification and replacing the
roofing material with the PVT system can reduce the payback
period.
Different types of PV Thermal collector are being used pre-
sently such as, PVT/air, PVT/water and PVT concentrated collector
[7]. The next section of this review article is focus on development
of the PV Thermal technology and application.
3. Types of PVT systems
3.1. Liquid PVT collector
Similar to flat plate collector water heating system, liquid
photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collectors are used to heat up the
1430 A. Kumar et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 42 (2015) 1428–1436

water and simultaneously electricity production for various copolymer absorber was also examined extensively. This alterna-
domestic and industrial applications [8]. The domestic water tive offers several advantages:
heater generally uses flat plate collectors in parallel connection
and run automatically with the thermo-siphon action whereas the
industrial water heating system a number of flat plate collectors in i. The reduction in weight leads to less material utilization and
series are used and hence, it uses a photovoltaic driven water easier installation.
pump to maintain a flow of water inside the collector. A schematic ii. The manufacturing process is simplified because of the fewer
diagram of a PVT water collector is shown in Fig. 2 [9]. components involved.
The Absorber materials generally used in liquid flat-plate PVT iii. The investment can be lowered as a result of the reduced
collectors are metallic sheet-and-tube absorber, while the use of material and installation costs.

Fig. 2. Schematic of PV/T air collector [2]. (a) Cross section view. (b) Exploded view. (c) Array view.

Fig. 3. Schematic of different types of air PV/T systems [10]. (a) Unglazed air PV/T collector. (b) Single glazed air PV/T collector. (c) Double glazed air PV/T collector. (d) Glazed
air PV/T collector with double pass.
 A. Kumar et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 42 (2015) 1428–1436
Yet there are disadvantages like low thermal conductivity, large
thermal expansion and limited service temperature. The copoly-
mer in use has to be good in physical strength, UV-light protected
and chemically stable.
3.2. Air PVT collectors
Air and water both have been used as heat transfer fluids in
practical PVT solar collectors, yielding PVT/air and PVT/water
heating systems, respectively. PVT/water systems are more effi-
cient than those of PVT/air systems due to the high thermo-
physical properties of water as compared to air, However, PVT/air
systems are utilized in many practical applications due to low
construction (minimal use of material) and operating cost among
others. It is presented in Fig. 2 [2]. Fig. 3 illustrates various type of
PVT air collectors [10].
3.3. Building-integrated air PVT (BIPVT)
From a holistic viewpoint, Bazilian et al. summarized the
potential applications of PVT cogeneration in the built environ-
ment. The multi-functional external façade/roof was identified
good for PVT installation that produces heat, light and electricity
simultaneously. Other than the use of airflow behind the PV
modules, a PVT system designed for light transmission requires
no additional system cost except for ambient light sensors to
Fig. 4. Ventilated PV glazing operation for Building integrated PV/T systems [7].
(a) Cooling mode. (b) Heating mode.
Fig. 5. Photograph of DSWH and roof type BIPV [11].
1431
optimize the gain from day lighting as shown in Fig. 4 [7]. Wei
et al. have surveyed the applicability of domestic solar water
heater (DSHW) and roof type building integrated photovoltaic
(BIPV) systems for China [11]. The survey was conducted in 96
samples in the Xi’an city, China. The photograph of the system is
shown in Fig. 5. The optimal space required for DSWH 3–4 m2
however for BIPV require minimum 6 m2. Study shows that 84 %
houses have roof about 3–4 m2 hence for this DSWH however only
18% of the houses are suitable for the installing roof type BIPV.
3.4. Concentrator PVT system
Concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems can operate at
higher temperatures than those of the flat plate collectors.
Collecting the rejected heat from a CPV system leads to a CPV
thermal (CPVT) system, providing both electricity and heat at
medium temperatures. This approach is promising due to the
significantly lower cost of the reflectors relative to the solar cells. A
schematic diagram of CPV is shown in Fig. 6 [2]. The use of CPVT in
combination with concentrating reflectors has a significant poten-
tial to increase the power production from a given solar cell area.
Renno has optimised size as well as its electrical and thermal
performance of the CPVT for the domestic applications [12]. The
proposed system is presented in Fig. 7. Along with choice and size
of the system, active cooling of the photovoltaic module is also
taken into consideration. Concentration ratio is found in each
condition and optimum value is evaluated. Due to decrease in the
value, the shape and size decreases.
Higher efficiency solar cells that handle higher current can be
used though they are more expensive than the flat-plate module
cells. Additional costs may also go to the complex sun tracking
driving mechanism. Cell efficiency decreases when non-uniform
temperature across the cell exists. Series connections of cells
increase the output voltage and decrease the current at a given
power output, thus reducing the ohmic losses. But the cell at the
Fig. 6. Schematic of concentrating PV/T collector [2].
1432 A. Kumar et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 42 (2015) 1428–1436
Fig. 7. Schematic diagram of concentrator photovoltaic system[12].
Fig. 8. Schematic of conventional heat pipe [14].
highest temperature will limit the efficiency of the whole string.
This is known as the current matching problem. The coolant circuit
should be designed to keep the cell temperature low and uniform,
be simple and reliable, and keep parasitic power consumption to a
minimum. Concentrators with the use of lenses or reflectors can
be generally grouped into three categories: single cells, linear
geometry, and densely packed modules. For highly concentrating
systems, more concentrator material per unit cell/absorber area is
needed.
The use of lenses is then more appropriate than reflectors
owing to their lower weight and material costs. However, con-
centrator systems that utilize lenses are unable to focus scattered
light, and this limits their usage at places largely with clear
weather. On the other hand, using “liquid” as the coolant is more
effective than using “air” to obtain better electrical output. For
these reasons, reflector-type CPVT systems are common for med-
ium- to high-temperature hot water systems applicable for cool-
ing, desalination, or other industrial processes. At lower operating
temperatures, a flat-plate solar collector may give a higher
efficiency than the concentrator-type collector when both are
directly facing the sun. But the performance gap will diminish
when the working temperature gradually increases. This is
because at higher temperature differential, the large exposed
surface of a flat-plate collector incurs more thermal loss. Presently,
research is going to develop CPVT collector for more electricity as
Fig. 9. Schematic of three types of flat plate heat pipes with micro channel array [15].
well as heat generation. A novel concentrating photovoltaic
thermal collector is being designed in the prototype form Buono-
mano et al. [13]. In this system, triple junction cells are attached
with the collector. Both thermal and electrical efficiency is found
will very high.
3.5. Heat-pipe-based PVT
Heat pipes are considered efficient heat transfer mechanisms
that combine the principles of both thermal conductivity and
phase transition. A typical heat pipe, as indicated in Fig. 8 [14],
consists of three sections namely, evaporated section (evaporator),
adiabatic section and condensed section (condenser), and provides
an ideal solution for heat removal and transmission.
This prototype module comprises a photovoltaic layer and a flat
plate heat pipe containing numerous micro-channel arrays acting
as the evaporation section of the heat pipes. The other end of the
heat pipe is the condensation section which releases heat to the
passing fluid and the fluid within the section is condensed owing
to the heat discharge [15] as shown if Fig. 9. The flat-plate
geometry is more efficient due to the excellent thermal contact
between the PV cells and heat extraction devices, which results in
a smaller thermal resistance and higher overall solar conversion
efficiency. In this way, the PV efficiency could increase by 15–30%
compared to the sole PVs, if its surface temperature is controlled to
 A. Kumar et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 42 (2015) 1428–1436 1433

Table 1
Remarks on previous study.

S. no. Type of system Author Concluding remarks on previous research References

1 Building integrated air Vats et al. A study has been conduct with different photovoltaic material and different packing factors for BIPV [47]
photovoltaic thermal system system with air duct. The packing factor 0.62 shows superior thermal and electrical performance as
compared to packing factor 0.83
2 Yin et al. It is observed that airport structured received 90–95 % of global solar radiation. Hence PV [48]
technologies can be used to generate power. BAPV shows lower peak power capacity and lower
annual energy density
3 Ibrahim The energy and exergy of the BIPVT solar collector have been conducted. Authors have presented new [49]
et al. absorber design for the system. The energy saving efficiency has increased from 73% to 81%
4 Solar air heating photovoltaic Tyagi et al. A study has been conducted on the solar air heater in the three different conditions namely without [50]
thermal system phase change material (PCM) - paraffin wax, with PCM and with hytherm oil. Study shows that
efficiency in tthe paraffin wax condition is the highest as compared to other two conditions
5 Touafek A new improved design of hybrid solar collector for hot air supply have been fabricated and studied. [51]
et al. Study shows better thermal and electrical performance as compared tradition solar air heater. It has
thermal efficiency of 48%
6 Amori et al. Different solar PV collectors of different configurations have been tested in the outdoor conditions. [52]
Mathematical model has been developed to predict the performance of these collectors
7 Concentrator photovoltaic Al-Alili et al. In this study concentrator photovoltaic system is applied to power the hybrid desiccant assisted air [53]
thermal system conditioner. Result shows that it provides better thermal comfort as compared to vapour compression
system
8 Sueto et al. In a concentrator photovoltaic system, the anti- soiling layer was coated on PMMA. This happens due [54]
to electrostatic charge. The system shows better performance than traditional parboiled PVT
concentrator
9 Li et al. A new static incorporated CPC-PV/T system have been designed and tested. Mathematic model to [55]
predict optical efficiency under outdoor conditions have been developed and was validated with
experimental values. Results show good agreement with them
10 Heat-pipe-based photovoltaic Gang et al. A new heat pipe based photovoltaic thermal system has been designed and developed. It is compared [56]
thermal with existing water system. Proposed system shows better performance than existing system
11 Zhang et al. An innovative concept to incorporate heat pipe to PVT system. System was tested in the outdoor [57]
conditions for seven continuous days. The proposed system shows better performance than existing
solar air system
12 Moradgholi A novel concept of cooling of the solar panel by the array of heat pipe is presented. It enhances the [58]
et al. electrical efficiency of the system

around 40–50 1C. The overall solar conversion efficiency of the

module was around 40%. Table 1 represents the comparative
analysis of the various PVT systems.

4. Advancements in recent years and future directions of PVT

in India

The development of PVT systems around the world is reached at

its peak in the last decade but in India utilization and commercializa-
tion of PVT has been started in the recent years, and it became so
popular during the last decade. The study carried out on PVT in India
as university research studies. BIPV and Solar photovoltaic thermal
system for water as well as air heating/cooling are available commer-
cially and simultaneously researchers of various Indian university are
working for the introduction of new and effective designs for
obtaining the better electrical as well as thermal efficiencies of the
PVT systems. The team of researchers of the Indian Institute of
Technology, Mumbai are working on the Power Generation—state-of-
the art PV and solar thermal technologies under the project named
as Pan IIT Solar-research Initiative (PSI) [16]. The main aim of this Fig. 10. Photograph of the low concentrating photovoltaic thermal system [18].
project is to generate 1 MW 8 hours per day.
Indian government also took some initiatives for the develop-
ment of PVT at the rapid rate. National Action Plan on Climate thermal power generation. The immediate aim of the Mission
Change(NAPCC) was launched by the prime minister of India on is to focus on setting up an enabling environment for solar
June 30, 2008, it is also known as “National Solar Mission”: The technology penetration in the country both at a centralized and
NAPCC aims to promote the development and use of solar energy decentralized level.
for power generation and other uses with the ultimate objective of
making solar competitive with fossil-based energy options [17].
The plan includes: Specific goals for increasing use of solar thermal 5. Case study of a PVT system
technologies in urban areas, industry, and commercial establish-
ments; A goal of increasing production of photovoltaic’s to In this study, the performance for low concentrating photo-
1000 MW/year; and a goal of deploying at least 1000 MW of solar voltaic thermal system is being conducted in the Energy and
1434 A. Kumar et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 42 (2015) 1428–1436
Building Design laboratory of Lund Technical University in Sweden
(latitude 551440 N, longitude 131120 E)[18]. The result is being
compared with simulated resulted and it is found to be close
agreement with them. The photograph of the system is given in
Fig. 10.
5.1. Details of the system
In this system, tracking system is provided in the low concen-
trating parabolic photovoltaic thermal system. Reflector of the
system concentrate the solar radiation to the water cooled PV
modules which act as a thermal absorber. This system generates
both electricity as well as thermal energy in the form of hot water.
Here PV modules is kept in the two section form. Each section
contains 32 solar cells. It is well laminated on both top and bottom
side of the cell. It is kept in the V-shape on the thermal absorber of
the system. Mono crystalline silicon solar cell which was special
type so that it can bear concentrated light [19] and was spreaded
in area of 0.33 m2. Water is the fluid which flows inside the
thermal absorber. The reflector of the system is the steel sheet.
This coated with silver colour.
The tracking of the system happens by rotating through its axis
of rotation. The area of parabolic trough is 4.6 m2.
5.2. Analysis of the observed data
The reading of the various data is observed from 1/6/08 to 13/9/08.
The variation of output electrical and thermal power is shown in
Fig. 11. Results shows that both power become highest at the noon
time. Fig. 12 shows the variation of electrical efficiency with respect to
outlet water temperature. Results shows that lower outlet temperature
provides higher electrical efficiency.
Fig. 11. Output on electric and thermal output [18].
Fig. 12. Variation of electrical with water outlet temperature [18].
6. Historical review on PVT
Hendrie developed a theoretical model for the flat plate PVT
solar collectors and by using the model [20]. He concluded that the
air and liquid based units obtained thermal efficiencies of 40.4%
and 32.9% respectively and electrical efficiency. Cox and Raghura-
man explored numerous design features of air based flat-plate PVT
collectors to determine their effectiveness on the basis of a
computer simulation [21]. They found the air PVT types are usually
less efficient than the liquid ones due to low PV cell packing factor,
low solar absorptance, high infrared emittance and low absorber
to air heat transfer coefficient.
Huang et al. studied an integrated photovoltaic–thermal system
(IPVTS) set-up [22]. The tested results showed that the solar PVT
collector made of a corrugated polycarbonate panel can obtain a
primary-energy saving efficiency of about 61.3%, while the tem-
peratures difference between the tank water the PV module was
around 4 1C. Bergene and Lovvik developed a PVT mathematical
[23]. The model was based on analysis of energy transfers includ-
ing conduction, convection and radiation initiated by Duffie and
Beckman and the outcome of model operation suggested that the
overall efficiency of PVT collectors are in the range 60–80% [24].
Grag and Agarwal developed a simulation model to examine the
outcome of the design and operational parameters of a hybrid PVT
air heating system [25]. It was found that PVT air heating system
largely depended on the its design temperatures as the extra glass
cover might lead to the increased transmission losses and beyond
some critical point the single-glass cover can collect more heat
than double glass does. Sopian et al. developed the steady-state
models to analyze the performance of both single and double-pass
PVT air collectors they concluded that the double-pass photovol-
taic thermal solar collector produces better performance than the
single-pass module at a normal operational mass flow rate range
[26]. De Vries and Zondag et al. carried out testing of a PVT solar
boiler with a water storage tank in the Dutch and found that the
covered sheet-and-tube system was the most promising PVT
concept for tap water heating [27–29]. This PVT system could
achieve annual average solar efficiencies of between 34% and 39%
for the covered designs, and 24% for the uncovered design.
Kalogirou carried out the modelling and simulation of the
performance of a hybrid PVT solar water [30]. The results showed
that the hybrid system increases the mean annual efficiency of the
PV solar water system from 2.8% to 7.7% and in addition covers 49%
of the hot water needs in a house, thus increasing the mean annual
efficiency to 31.7%. Jones and Underwood have studied the
temperature profile of photovoltaic (PV) module in a non-steady
state condition with respect to time [31]. They performed experi-
ments for clear as well cloudy day condition and observed that the
PV module temperature varies between 300 and 325 K (27–52 1C)
for an ambient air temperature of 297.5 K (24.5 1C). Huang et al.
have studied experimentally the unglazed integrated photovoltaic
and thermal solar system (IPVTS) for water heating under natural
mode of operation [32]. They observed that the primary energy
saving efficiency of IPVTS exceeds 0.60 which is higher than that
for a conventional solar water heater or pure PV system. Kalogirou
has studied the monthly performance of unglazed hybrid PVT
system under forced mode of operation for climatic condition of
Southern Cyprus and observed an increase of the mean annual
efficiency of PV solar system from 2.8 to 7.7% with thermal
efficiency of 49%, respectively [33].
Sandnes and Rekstad have observed the behaviour of a com-
bined photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collector which was constructed
by pasting single-crystal silicon cells onto a black plastic solar heat
absorber (unglazed PVT system) [34]. They recommended that the
combined PVT concept must be used for low temperature thermal
application for increasing the electrical efficiency of PV system,
 A. Kumar et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 42 (2015) 1428–1436
e.g., space heating of a building. Sandnes and Rekstad constructed
a PVT unit by using a polymer solar heat collector combined with
single-crystal silicon PV cell [35]. They found that pasting solar
cells onto the absorbing surface would reduce the solar energy
absorbed by the panel further there is an increased heat transfer
resistance at the surface of absorber.
Chow has carried out the analysis of PVT water collector with
single glazing in a transient condition [36]. The tube underneath
flat plate with metallic bond collector was used. He observed that
photovoltaic conversion efficiency at the reduced temperature is
increased by 2% at mass flow rate of 0.01 kg/s for 10,000 W/m2 K
plate to bond heat transfer coefficient. An additional thermal
efficiency of 60% was also observed.
Tiwari and Sodha developed a thermal model for an integrated
photovoltaic and thermal solar collector (IPVTS) system and
compared it with the model for a conventional solar water heater
by Huang et al. [37]. The simulations predicted a daily primary-
energy saving efficiency of around 58%, which was in good
agreement with the experimental value (61.3%) obtained by
Huang et al.
7. Recent trend in PVT
Tripanagnostopoulos made some more improvements in the
existing system by introducing an unglazed PVT/dual system with
both water and air cooling modes and found that by attaching
water tubes at the back surface of PV gives better thermal
efficiency [38]. By adding a thin metal sheet (TMS), fins (FIN)
and a combination of TMS with ribs (RIB) (TMS at the centre of the
air duct and RIB at the opposite side of the PV surface) he
compared the three modified systems with the reference PVT/
dual (water tube attached at back surface system and found a
significant increase in thermal efficiency for the air heat extrac-
tion, which is respectively approximately 23, 33 and 36% higher
for the said systems described above. Use of an additional booster
diffuse reflector (REF) which further improves electrical perfor-
mance 12% for the low (about 0 1C) operating temperatures, with
electrical efficiency of 16.5 and 18.5% for the typical PV and the PV
with booster diffuse reflector, respectively. This increase in elec-
trical performance percentage is more significant for higher (about
55 1C) operating temperatures, as it happens usually in PVT
collectors, thus the electrical performance can be higher by about
18% as electrical efficiency is 13 and 11%, respectively, for the PV
and the PV with booster diffuse reflector systems.
Tonui et al. constructed an air-based PVT solar collector which
applied two low cost approaches to enhance heat transfer
between the air flow and PV surface [39]. It is found that the
induced mass flow rate and thermal efficiency decrease with
increasing ambient temperature and increase with increasing tilt
angle for a given insulation level. Solanki et al. designed and
constructed a PVT solar air heater, and studied its performance
over different operational parameters under steady indoor condi-
tions [40]. They found that the thermal, electrical and overall
efficiency of the solar heater obtained at indoor condition was 42%,
8.4% and 50%, respectively. Dubey et al. developed an analytical
model with four different configurations [41]. It was found that the
glass to glass PV module with duct gives higher electrical effi-
ciency and the higher outlet air temperature among the all four
cases. The annual average efficiency of glass to glass type PV
module with and without duct was reported 10.41% and 9.75%,
respectively. Ji et al. developed a novel solar PVT heat pump (PVT-
SAHP) system that combined a Rankine refrigeration cycle with a
PVT solar collector [42]. The results indicated that the PV electrical
efficiency and evaporator thermal efficiency are around 12% and
50% respectively during the testing period in Hefei, China.
1435
Shahsavar and Ameri designed and tested a direct-coupled PVT
air collector with and without glass cover at Kerman, Iran [43].
They concluded that setting glass cover on photovoltaic panels
leads to an increase in thermal efficiency and decrease in electrical
efficiency of the system. Zhao et al. designed a novel PVT roof
module to act as the roof element, electricity generator and the
evaporator of a heat pump system [14]. Under a typical Notting-
ham (UK) operating condition, the modules would achieve 55% of
thermal efficiency and 19% of electrical efficiency, while the
module based heat pump system would have an overall efficiency
of above 70%. It was also addressed that the integration of the PV
cells and evaporation coil into a prefabricated roof would lead to
large saving in both capital and running costs over separate
arrangements of PV, heat pump and roof structure.
Touafek et al., have design, developed and modelled the PVT
collectors for the purpose of air heating and power generation
[44]. It provides good thermal and electrical effect as compared to
the classical hybrid collectors. Amrizal et al. have presented
dynamic model for hybrid PVT solar collector [45]. This model is
found to predict the thermal and electrical performance of the
collector. It was validated with experimental data and found to be
good agreement. Bakar et al. have upgraded the design of photo-
voltaic/thermal solar collector by integrating a roundabout-shape
copper tube below the tedler of the PV panel [46]. It provides both
hot air and water along with increase the electric production per
unit as compared to the normal PV panel.
8. Conclusion
The renewable energy become upcoming prominent energy
sources due to following reasons namely fast rate of depletion of
fossil fuels, volatile raise in price of gasoline and environmental
pollution. Among all renewable energy sources, the solar photo-
voltaic technologies is found to be one of the most promising. Due
to this, intense research work is going on this field and this leads
to significant enhancement of its performance.
A detailed reviews both historical and present trend of the solar
photovoltaic thermal technologies have been presented. The
various application of the solar photovoltaic system such as
building integrated air PVT system, solar air heating PVT system,
liquid PVT collector, concentrator PVT system, and heat-pipe-based
PVT are also presented. Now various PVT applications on commer-
cial level is there but still it is limited due product reliability and
cost. Hence significant research is required in the field of PVT
mainly in thermal absorber design and fabrication, material and
coating selection, energy conversion and its effectiveness, cost
minimization, performance testing, control and the reliability of
the system. This communication is found to be helpful for the
manufactures of the PVT collectors, researchers and students who
is working in this field.
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