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Abstract In single-junction photovoltaic (PV) systems, a large portion of the solar energy is converted to heat and dissipated to the environment as the electrical conversion efficiency of the PV cells is around 20% or less. Also, the electrical efficiency of the PV cells decreases with rise in the surface temperature of the cells. Accordingly, photovoltaic thermal (PVT) systems have been introduced as a hybrid system to extract heat from PV panels and utilize it for domestic hot water, desalination, space heating, etc. In this research, an advanced and novel evacuated tube PVT system has been designed and simulated for highly efficient and sustainable cogeneration of heat and electricity. The PVT system is encapsulated inside an evacuated tube glazing that minimizes the convective heat losses to the environment. At a solar irradiance level of 900 W/m2, the system can deliver hot water with an outlet temperature of 61.8 °C, thermal efficiency of 54.96%, and electrical efficiency of 15.81%. Thermal and electrical performances of the PVT system depend on the solar irradiance level and water outlet temperature, and in most cases, the total efficiency of the system is above 70%.
Roshanzadeh et al. (Mon,) studied this question.