A solar concentrating photovoltaic/thermal collector
Abstract
This thesis discusses aspects of a novel solar concentrating photovoltaic / thermal (PV/T) collector that has been designed to produce both electricity and hot water. The motivation for the development of the Combined Heat and Power Solar (CHAPS) collector is twofold: in the short term, to produce photovoltaic power and solar hot water at a cost which is competitive with other renewable energy technologies, and in the longer term, at a cost which is lower than possible with current technologies. To the author’s knowledge, the CHAPS collector is the first PV/T system using a reflective linear concentrator with a concentration ratio in the range 20-40x. The work contained in this thesis is a thorough study of all facets of the CHAPS collector, through a combination of theoretical and experimental investigation. ...