Environmental and energy assessment of photovoltaic-thermal system combined with a reflector supported by nanofluid filter and a sustainable thermoelectric generator

This study focuses on new design of a photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) unit through the utilization of a cylindrical reflector. The integration of a thermoelectric generator layer fabricated from Cu2SnS3 (CTS) and a nanofluid spectral filter composed of a MgO-water mixture within PVT leads to performance enhancement. A mathematical approach was established involving optical features and the Finite volume approach was employed for simulation. The validity of the method was verified through comparison with experimental data. By introducing fins and a filter duct, along with a cylindrical reflector, the overall performance is enhanced by 36.3%. Adding a reflector into the finned structure leads to an overall performance improvement of approximately 5.7% and 4.7% with and without a nanofluid filter. By increasing the velocity of the filter, the electrical performance was enhanced resulting in an improvement of 37.7% when a reflector is present. Integrating a reflector, fins and filter in a combined system leads to the maximum reduction in CO2 emission with a value 2 times higher than that of conventional PV.