Page 296 - A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Energy Systems

300 A ComPreHenSIVe GuIde To SolAr enerGy SySTemS

FIGURE 14.1 Schematic illustration of the BIPV/T system cooled by (A) open-loop [21], and (B) closed-loop [26].

Generally, the closed-loop configuration with liquid is more efficient than the open-
loop with air as the heat transfer media due to the high thermophysical properties
of liquid compared to air [27]. most closed-loop BIPVT systems employ water tubes
for cooling and thermal energy collection. normally, the water tubes are embedded
in insulation materials and covered by absorber materials in contact with the PV ele-
ments above [26]. However, such designs commonly exhibit poor heat conduction due
to the small contact area between the absorber and water pipes, and thus not able
to efficiently cool the PV cells to increase the PV efficiency. In this chapter, we pres-
ent the state-of-the-art BIPVT system, and introduce a commercial building integrated