Combined Systems of Photoelectric and Thermal Conversions of Solar Energy

The article provides a brief overview of research in the development of combined systems consisting of photovoltaic and thermal solar energy converters. Theoretical, numerical and experimental methods of research in the field of development of combined systems, consisting of photovoltaic and thermal converters of solar energy, have been carried out for almost four decades. Researchers and specialists have repeatedly proposed and evaluated various types of combined systems consisting of photovoltaic and thermal solar energy converters. If you look closely at the history of these developments, you can see that at the beginning of the work, the main efforts were directed to fundamental theories, the consolidation of conceptual ideas and a feasibility study of the main configurations of the design of the collector of combined systems consisting of photovoltaic and thermal solar energy converters. By the early 2000s, research on combined systems consisting of photovoltaic and thermal solar energy converters was more about improving collector design and cost-effectiveness evaluation. More rigorous analyzes of energy and mass transfer phenomena have been carried out on conventional collectors with experimental verification. Ideas for integrated building design began to emerge, and demonstration designs became available for documentation. However, in the last decade, the focus has generally shifted towards the development of complementary products, innovative systems, testing procedures, and design optimization. Numerical analysis becomes more complete with powerful analytical tools. Particular attention was paid to monitoring product reliability, system reliability and environmental impact. It is expected that combined systems consisting of photovoltaic and thermal solar energy converters will be more widely used in the near future, primarily due to environmental necessity.