The significance of solar energy among renewable energy resources is undeniable and its benefits are well known. However, due to its intermittent nature and the relatively low efficiency of solar systems, it supplies only a small percentage (i.e., <1%) of the world’s energy. Second-generation photovoltaic modules-devices that can convert solar radiation into electricity offer low efficiency (<13.4%), and a large amount of energy in these devices is wasted in the form of heat. This study investigated a hybrid system that can utilize such wasted thermal energy from a photovoltaic module. These systems, known as photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) hybrid systems, can harness solar energy in the form of heat and electricity. The performance of PVT hybrid systems is experimentally studied, and water, considered as the working fluid, is moved through serpentine tubes mounted at the back of the PV module. Furthermore, to enhance the thermophysical properties of the working fluid, various nanoparticles (TiO2, SiO2, and C) are added to the base fluid. The results indicate that using PVT/w with copper tubes can elevate the thermal efficiency up to 89.11% and electrical efficiency increases by almost 0.6%. During the nanofluids tests, the highest increase of 24.15% in thermal efficiency was observed by using graphite nanofluids.

太阳能在可再生能源中的重要性是不可否认的，它的好处是众所周知的。然而，由于太阳能系统的间歇性和相对较低的效率，它仅提供世界能源的一小部分（即<1%）。第二代光伏组件——可以将太阳辐射转化为电能的设备效率低（<13.4%），这些设备中的大量能量以热量的形式浪费掉。本研究调查了一种混合系统，该系统可以利用来自光伏模块的这种浪费的热能。这些系统称为光伏-热能 (PVT) 混合系统，可以以热能和电力的形式利用太阳能。实验研究了 PVT 混合系统的性能，水作为工作流体，通过安装在光伏组件背面的蛇形管移动。此外，为了增强工作流体的热物理特性，将各种纳米粒子（TiO2、SiO2 和 C）添加到基液中。结果表明，铜管使用PVT/w可以将热效率提高到89.11%，电效率提高近0.6%。在纳米流体测试期间，使用石墨纳米流体观察到的热效率最高提高了 24.15%。