Many researchers have investigated how to increase the overall efficiency of solar-driven thermal systems. Several key parameters, such as collector efficiency and storage tank characteristics, may impose some constraints on the annual solar fraction (ASF) of such systems. In this paper, the behaviour of integrating the phase change material (PCM) in SDHW systems is modelled and optimized n...

Solar-energy conversion usually takes one of two forms: the 'quantum' approach, which uses the large per-photon energy of solar radiation to excite electrons, as in photovoltaic cells, or the 'thermal' approach, which uses concentrated sunlight as a thermal-energy source to indirectly produce electricity using a heat engine. Here we present a new concept for solar electricity generation, photon...

Concentrator photovoltaic is an emergent technology that may be a good economical and efficient alternative for the generation of electricity at a competitive cost. However, the reliability of these new solar cells and systems is still an open issue due to the high-irradiation level they are subjected to as well as the electrical and thermal stresses that they are expected to endure. To evaluat...

Electrical and thermal properties of a carbon nanotube (CNT)/multiferroic BiFeO(3) (BFO)/Pt photovoltaic heterojunction are investigated for the first time. Enhanced photovoltaic properties (J(sc)≈ 2.1 μA cm(-2) and V(oc)≈ 0.47 V), as compared to the traditional polycrystalline BFO with indium tin oxide (ITO) as the top electrode, are observed due to the unique properties of CNT. An equivalent ...

Improving the performance of photovoltaics is important for increased deployment in a broad range of applications. In this article, it is shown that combining detailed models for full-wave optics with one or more other physics models represents an emerging field of research. In particular, connections are made with geometric optics, electronic transport, and thermal transport. First, structures...

A TRNSYS component (Type 262) has been written to simulate a concentrating PV/Thermal collector. The component is based on a dynamic model of a concentrating PV/Thermal collector, which includes thermal capacitance effects, and detailed equations describing the temperature dependent energy flow between the collector and surroundings. The CHAPS system, a 30x concentration parabolic trough PV/The...

Several experiments were carried out to study the origin of the anomalous photovoltaic eff'ect in high-quality YBa2Cu307 thin films. In particular, the issue of whether the signal is induced by thermal gradients was addressed. Using samples with well-characterized orientation and texture, and using low-power cw lasers, it was determined that the signal was proportional to the thermal gradient a...

Many researchers have investigated how to increase the overall efficiency of solar-driven thermal systems. Several key parameters, such as collector efficiency and storage tank characteristics, may impose some constraints on the annual solar fraction (ASF) of such systems. In this paper, the behaviour of integrating the phase change material (PCM) in SDHW systems is modelled and optimized n...