Trnsys Validation of a 1.5 Axis Tracking Concentrated Solar Photovoltaic Thermal System

This paper reports on TRNSYS simulation results on a hybrid concentrated solar photovoltaic thermal cooled collector, CSPVT. The system is composed of a 90Wp monocrystalline PV panel which is used to generate both electrical power and hot water for domestic use. The software was used to predict the total energy yield from a CSPVT. In addition to that, a prototype was built and tested to give actual energy yields. An existing Campbell weather station located near the experimental site, logging 15-minute data of actual parameters such as: incident radiation, voltage and current, enabled comparison with the model’s estimate. The electrical and thermal energy yields were closer to actual ones. Total energy production yield was 76% for Cape Town, South Africa, while TRNSYS predicted 82%. Thus, we conclude that, TRNSYS modelling can be used to predict the performance of the CSPVT at a location near the weather stations listed in the software’s database. A capital cost analysis showed that over a 15-year life span, the CSPVT could possibly give a unit energy cost less than half of that from a conventional PV panel.