Experimental and numerical investigation on a hybrid solar chimney-photovoltaic system for power generation in Kuwait

A large percentage of solar energy is converted to accumulated thermal energy leading to temperature rise in the PV panel. The raised PV surface temperature could be utilized for fluid heating. The objective of the current work is to integrate the PV panels with an inclined solar chimney and carry out an experimental and numerical assessment of the developed hybrid system. An experimental model comprises a solar collector with a photovoltaic panel as an absorber, a chimney, and a convergent nozzle has been developed. A Series of measurements have been carried out at various weather conditions. A numerical simulation predicted the airflow and heat transfer characteristics utilizing ANSYS fluent software to extend the analysis and evaluation of the hybrid system. Results showed that the hybrid system produces power within a range of 9% to 11% efficiency, which is approximately two orders of magnitude higher than the typical solar chimney efficiency. In contrast, it increased by 18% compared to the stand-alone PV panel. A minor increase in output power with a negligible decrease in LCOE was expected to increase the size further.