Are PVT Photovoltaic Panels Worth it?

Are PVT photovoltaic panels worth it? Count the two tables of power generation and heat generation together.

An ordinary photovoltaic panel, when the sun shines on it, only 15% to 20% of the energy turns into electricity. The rest is all hot, and the board is baked hot - the temperature is 1℃ per liter, and the power generation efficiency is about 0.4%. Most of the energy of the photovoltaic panels you spent money on was scattered in vain.

What PVT photovoltaic panels do is very simple: add a set of heat exchange channels on the back of the photovoltaic panel to let water or air flow through the tropics. The heat taken away can be used to boil hot water and heat, and the power generation efficiency of PVT photovoltaic panels is higher when it is cooled.

1. The power generation and heat generation data of PVT photovoltaic panels, calculate an account

A conventional PVT photovoltaic panel can achieve 13% to 16% electrical efficiency and 40% to 80% thermal efficiency. Overall, the solar energy utilization rate of the same board has increased from less than 20% of that of ordinary photovoltaic panel to more than 80%.

The actual measurement data is more straightforward. PVT photovoltaic panels and ordinary photovoltaic panel ran all day under the same conditions. The efficiency of ordinary panel dropped to 6.85% at the hottest time at noon. Because of water cooling, the plate surface temperature of PVT photovoltaic panels is 10 to 13 ℃ lower than that of ordinary panel, and the electrical efficiency is 4.2% to 7.1% higher than that of ordinary panel. There is no less electricity, and the PVT photovoltaic panel also earned a box of hot water for nothing.

2. The recovery period of PVT photovoltaic panels is shorter than you think.

Is the PVT photovoltaic panel worth it? Look at the recovery period. Independently install a set of photovoltaic + a set of water heaters, and the equipment, installation and pipeline are all included, and the investment is not low. A set of PVT photovoltaic panels produces two kinds of equipment, and the unit investment can exchange more energy. The comparison of technology and economy shows that under the premise of the same energy saving, the minimum recovery period of PVT photovoltaic panels can be 6.2 years, and the cost of electricity is 0.028 USD/kWh - which is more cost-effective than installing photovoltaic panel alone (8.6 years) and installing water heaters separately (8.1 years).

3. Who is suitable for installing PVT photovoltaic panels? Two kinds of people

PVT photovoltaic panels are suitable for two types of people: one is that they have a stable demand for hot water (hotels, homestays, northern heating), and the other is that the installation area is limited and they want to solve electricity and heat on a roof at the same time. If it is just pure power generation and there is no demand for hot water, ordinary panel is cheaper. When purchasing PVT photovoltaic panels, focus on two numbers: whether the thermal efficiency can be more than 40%, and whether the electrical efficiency is much lower than that of ordinary photovoltaic panel of the same specification - a good PVT photovoltaic panel should be "powerless, hot and white".

If it were you, would you install a set of PVT photovoltaic panels on the roof to wrap both electricity and heat, or would you install photovoltaic panel and water heaters separately?