Would it be safe to say that the energy not converted to electricity by a photovolatic panel is lost as thermal energy. Therefore if a solar panel has a 13.1 % efficiency at converting photons into electric energy then 86.9% is loss as thermal energy.
But how would one find the overall heat transfer coefficient of the solar panel. Would I just use the thermal conductivity value of the solar cells and use this value for the entire photovoltaic panel. Also what value would I use if I added a steel backing to the photovoltaic panel.
I was wondering how one would calculate the heat transfer of an object such as a photovoltaic panel that is made up of different materials, all with different thermal conductivity values. Also how would one calculate the heat transfer if a photovoltaic panel is on top of a flowing water source.
I am trying to transfer heat through the solar panel to heat the water. I know that 43 % of the energy created by photovoltaic panels is loss through heat. So I was trying to figure out how hot I would be able to get the water and how much heat energy would be created. I was going to replace...
I want to attach a photovoltaic panel on top of a thermal absorbing system. My idea was to to replace or add a steel backing to the photovoltaic panel. The thermal system would consist of a box filled with water, which would be in direct contact with the panel. But before I begin my idea I...
I was wondering if anyone knew the heat transfer coefficient of a thin steel sheet on top of water. It is vital that I find this answer because it is a major part of my research. I found one formula which stated that the U value could be found by using the formula 1/U= x1/k1 + x2/k2. I wanted to...