New hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system has overcome three pillars of commercializing a product. First of all, photovoltaic systems and parabolic trough collectors need significant space and have high system losses. In other words, their land-use efficiency is much lower than the new hybrid PV/T system.
The second is its high-efficiency compared to conventional PV modules which ranged 18-25% and parabolic trough collectors with 60-80% thermal efficiency. The last one is the stunning low-cost of the hybrid PV/T system.
This system has been developed by researchers at Tulane University with 85.1% efficiency and is projected to have a system levelized cost of 3 cents/ kWh. It also delivers steam at up to 248 degrees Celsius.
Matthew Escarra, the leading professor of the research said that “We are pleased to have demonstrated high-performance field operation of our solar converter and look forward to its ongoing commercial development.”
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Source: @ ScienceDirect & @Solar_Edition
Photo: @ ScienceDirect & @Solar_Edition
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