Cold solar: PVT heat exchanger designs for heat pump integration

There has been an increase in solar photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) research in recent years, however, relatively little research has been dedicated to the design of PVT collectors as part of a heat pump system. This study aims to identify cost-effective design strategies for a PVT collector absorber to be integrated into a ground source heat pump (GSHP) circuit and enhance heat capture from the ambient air. The effect of geometry, material selection, fins, and forced convection on the overall U-value and thermal performance coefficients of the collector, are evaluated under steady state conditions using numerical modelling tool COMSOL Multiphysics. An annual mean fluid temperature profile is derived from a PVT + GSHP system simulation to calculate the annual thermal energy output, energy-to-mass and energy-to-cost ratios of the absorbers. Results show that the addition of fins and forced convection have the greatest influence on collector thermal performance, while material selection has a negligible impact. The corrugated, polycarbonate absorber with 10 mm fins, generates 55 % more thermal energy (1,464 kWhth/m2-yr) than the reference metallic sheet and tube collector at an energy-to-cost ratio 1/10th the reference, suggesting good market potential. An exergy analysis reveals that thermal exergy contributes 20 % to 50 % of the total exergy output, highlighting that low-temperature PVT designs exhibiting a smaller thermal share relative to electrical exergy compared to their higher temperature counterparts. This work’s novelty and contribution comes from PVT design specifically for GSHP integration, examined at component and system levels, from both technical and economic perspectives.