TY - JOUR
T1 - Research progress on utilization of phase change materials in photovoltaic/thermal systems
T2 - A critical review
AU - Yu, Qinghua
AU - Chen, Xi
AU - Yang, Hongxing
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to acknowledge the financial supports of the Innovation Technology Fund ( ITS/171/16FX ) and the Research Impact Fund (RC2H) of the Hong Kong SAR Government. The second author is also supported by Australian Research Council DECRA Fellowship ( DE200101597 ).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2021/10
Y1 - 2021/10
N2 - A photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) technology, producing electricity and heat simultaneously, has attracted extensive attention. Integration of phase change materials (PCMs) into PV/T systems as auxiliary cooling media or/and heat storage media to improve the system performances has been prevalent in recent years. This paper aims to critically and comprehensively review the research progress concerning utilization of PCMs in PV/T systems. The adopted performance evaluation indexes and applied PCMs in various PV/T systems are gathered and analysed. The configurations and effects of bulk PCMs in standalone PV/T modules, building-integrated PV/T systems and PV/T systems integrated with other energy conversion technologies are elaborated with special attention paid to the microencapsulated PCM (MPCM) slurry applied in PV/T modules. The effects of thermophysical properties and mass of PCM/MPCM, operation parameters of working fluids, and environmental conditions are also discussed, whilst heat transfer enhancement approaches for PV/T-PCM modules are explored. It has been identified that the integration of PCMs can effectively elevate the system performances when the phase change temperature and operation parameters are carefully tailored according to environmental conditions. Finally, research prospects and opportunities are proposed in terms of material fabrication and modification, system integration, model development as well as performance analysis. The review can provide crucial references for high-efficiency PV/T-PCM system design and further development of relevant technologies.
AB - A photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) technology, producing electricity and heat simultaneously, has attracted extensive attention. Integration of phase change materials (PCMs) into PV/T systems as auxiliary cooling media or/and heat storage media to improve the system performances has been prevalent in recent years. This paper aims to critically and comprehensively review the research progress concerning utilization of PCMs in PV/T systems. The adopted performance evaluation indexes and applied PCMs in various PV/T systems are gathered and analysed. The configurations and effects of bulk PCMs in standalone PV/T modules, building-integrated PV/T systems and PV/T systems integrated with other energy conversion technologies are elaborated with special attention paid to the microencapsulated PCM (MPCM) slurry applied in PV/T modules. The effects of thermophysical properties and mass of PCM/MPCM, operation parameters of working fluids, and environmental conditions are also discussed, whilst heat transfer enhancement approaches for PV/T-PCM modules are explored. It has been identified that the integration of PCMs can effectively elevate the system performances when the phase change temperature and operation parameters are carefully tailored according to environmental conditions. Finally, research prospects and opportunities are proposed in terms of material fabrication and modification, system integration, model development as well as performance analysis. The review can provide crucial references for high-efficiency PV/T-PCM system design and further development of relevant technologies.
KW - Building-integrated
KW - Phase change material
KW - Photovoltaic/thermal
KW - Solar energy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85108318632&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.rser.2021.111313
DO - 10.1016/j.rser.2021.111313
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85108318632
SN - 1364-0321
VL - 149
JO - Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
JF - Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
M1 - 111313
ER -
