Operating Characteristics of a Photovoltaic/Thermal Integrated Heat Pump System

Hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collector, combining photovoltaic cells with a solar thermal collector, can simultaneously convert solar energy into electricity and heat energy. In this paper, a novel photovoltaic/thermal integrated heat pump (PV/T-HP) system was developed, in which the PV/T collector also acted as evaporator of heat pump. Two types of PV/T collectors with conventional copper evaporator tubes and multi-port flat extruded aluminum tubes were designed and investigated. Comparative results indicate that the latter structure obtains a better performance. Using the meteorological data in Nanjing, China, the simulation results based on 150 L water heating load show that such a PV/T-HP could simultaneously generate electricity and heat energy efficiently all year around. In addition, Optimizing operation by controlling the compressor speed on different weather conditions was proposed to achieve a better long-term performance.