PVT solar panels are something to think about if you’re thinking about switching to solar power or if you’re just searching for a more effective way to produce electricity and hot water.
A hybrid solar panel, also known as a PVT panel, is a fantastic choice if you’re searching for a solar panel that can generate both electricity and hot water. PVT (photovoltaic and thermal) panels generate more energy per unit area despite being less efficient than solar thermal or dedicated photovoltaic panels. They are, therefore, perfect for compact places where every square inch matters.
PVT solar panels or hybrid solar panels work by turning solar energy into both electricity and heat. Your home or place of business is powered by electricity, and hot water is generated by heat. This indicates that you can enjoy all the benefits of solar energy without installing two different systems.
Overview of PVT Solar Panel & Solar Water Panel
PVT solar panel:
PVT stands for PhotoVoltaic Thermal, which is a device combining two technologies – solar PV and solar thermal (hot water). A PVT solar panel is a form of solar panel that simultaneously produces heat and energy.
Solar water heater: A solar water heater is a device that produces hot water by using the energy from the sun. Generally speaking, solar water heaters are more energy-efficient than traditional electric or gas water heaters.
Hybrid Solar Panel
A hybrid solar system produces energy and heat using both photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal technology. In general, hybrid solar systems are more effective than PV or solar thermal systems on their own.
How Does It Work?
Hybrid solar panels are effectively solar PV panels that also have pipes built into the collector with a fluid circulating between them and a water cylinder.
As the sun shines on the panel, the PV cells absorb the light, and the solar thermal element absorbs the heat.
Why do we use it?
On-grid and off-grid solar energy systems are the two possibilities homeowners should explore when looking into solar energy power systems. Both of these techniques can be useful if you are in a state with abundant sunlight, such as California. However, these systems won’t be able to keep your home running during cloudy or nighttime conditions, so you’ll need other energy sources. Hybrid solar energy systems perform in this situation. They will help power your home when the sun isn’t shining and will offer smooth backup during an outage.
A hybrid solar energy system is one in which your solar panels are connected to the grid, and your excess power is stored in a backup energy storage device.
The Function of Hybrid PVT Panels
The simultaneous production of electricity and hot water by hybrid PVT (Photovoltaic and Thermal) solar panels maximizes the use of available roofs or outdoor areas for renewable energy generation. They transform solar energy into hot fluid and electricity. Your lights, appliances, and hot fluid can all be powered by electricity. Hot fluid can also be used to heat rooms, make domestic hot water, or heat processes.
How is a Hybrid Solar Panel Installed?
Hybrid solar panels are installed the same way as regular solar panels.
Roof hooks are fixed to the roof trusses or rafters, depending on where the panels will sit with the roof cladding, to which aluminum rails are then fixed horizontally. The panels are bolted to these rails.
Solar PVT panels will require the PV function wires to turn back to an inverter to turn it into usable energy, as well as pipes connecting to the home’s hot water storage for its solar thermal component.
As PVT systems are more specialist at present, the best way to find the right installer is to ask the manufacturer of your product for a list of approved installers.
How To Use Solar Hot Water?
PVT technology is not as plug-and-play as PV technology is, it turns out. In addition, significant amounts of water that are 35 to 40 degrees Celsius in temperature and have nowhere to go might accumulate throughout the summer. Due to this, swimming pool owners are currently choosing to install them.
Hot water can be diverted through outdoor convectors to release any extra heat when not in use. The reality remains that when we use the PVT’s thermal and electric outputs together, we effectively save twice as much money.
A PVT solar panel produces exactly three units of heat for every unit of electricity, doubling your savings in many locations where electricity costs three times as much as gas. It would be considerably more advantageous for people who lack the roof area necessary to house several kilowatts of PV panels if Tesla chose this PVT path rather than the solar roof tiles.
Hybrid Solar Energy Systems’ Benefits
Hybrid solar energy systems offer several benefits. Let’s look at some of them:
Continuous Power Supply
One of its main advantages is the hybrid solar system’s ability to provide continuous power over a conventional one. Hybrid solar systems can deliver uninterrupted power since the batteries they are attached to store energy. The batteries serve as inverters during power outages, giving you backup power for your house and essential equipment. Batteries offer backup power to keep things working smoothly after dark or during a power outage.
High Performance
Hybrid solar energy systems operate more effectively and sustainably than traditional generators, which occasionally waste fuel. In any weather, hybrid solar systems produce power effectively while storing excess energy for later use without wasting fuel.
Hybrid solar power systems with demand response store energy during the day and deliver it at night. A hybrid solar system may be equipped with technology that automatically modifies the energy supply in accordance with the power needs of particular appliances, such as an air conditioner or a fan.
Low Cost of Maintenance
The system’s long-term cost-effectiveness is a further advantage. Even though the initial expense is considerable, you will save money because you won’t need to buy fuel, and these systems don’t need to be maintained frequently.
Hybrid Solar Energy Systems’ Drawbacks
Hybrid solar energy systems may have some drawbacks, like many other things. Here are a few examples:
Complex Control Procedure
The way various energy sources function and interact with one another can get complicated. The best part is that we will take care of such difficulties for you because we work with a reliable contractor.
High Costs of Installation
A hybrid solar energy system has a higher initial investment than solar energy alone, despite having lower maintenance costs.
Shorter Battery Life
The system’s home batteries may have a shorter lifespan because they are frequently exposed to heat, cold, or rain.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hybrid Solar Systems
Is a Hybrid Solar System Worth It?
Hybrid systems will balance their higher initial costs by saving you money on your utility bills over time. Most (if not all) of the extra electricity your solar panels generate is saved in your home batteries for later usage rather than being sold back to the utility company.
What Makes an Off-Grid Solar System versus a Hybrid System?
Specialized off-the-grid inverters and battery packs are used in off-the-grid solar systems to store electricity for two or more days. On the other hand, grid-connected hybrid systems need a house battery with an overnight capacity of 5 to 10 hours and use less expensive battery-based inverters.
What is Solar PVT?
More hybrid solar energy systems are being implemented worldwide in homes and companies, with benefits and drawbacks. A clean energy future depends on energy storage since it is essential to releasing solar and wind power’s full potential.
PhotoVoltaic Thermal Panels, a relatively new technology that integrates two solar energy conversion principles into one unit, is another name for hybrid solar panels. Sunlight is converted into energy and heat in hot water using a solar hybrid PVT panel.
Ten years ago, solar thermal panels were all the rage, but recently, sales have declined. This is unexpected, considering how much more effective the technique is than solar PV. The energy’s one limitation is that it can only be used to heat water, unlike versatile energy sources like electricity.
A fascinating technological combination that increases solar PV production from a meager 20% to over 80% energy conversion is hybrid solar thermal and solar PV. Solar PV is a fantastic technology that has advanced significantly, especially in the last 20 years, but even with the best panels, its efficiency is still only about 20%.
How Much Energy do Hybrid Solar Panels Generate?
According to manufacturers, a solar PVT system can generate around 1500kWh of energy per kWp installed yearly. That would be around 1000kWh of electricity and around 500Wh of heat.
The hybrid solar PVT panels can produce more heat than this, which could be too hot for the PV cells. The crucial design details would be to ensure you can use all the generated energy and not overheat the PV cells.
Do Solar PVT Hybrid Panels Have a Future?
Of course, yes. Even in the absence of the domestic RHI, PVT can contribute value. A few businesses currently sell PVT hybrid solar panels, demonstrating the viability of commercializing this technology.
PVT panels will undoubtedly acquire the appropriate documentation over time to benefit from financial incentives like their commercial counterparts, increasing their appeal. And as a result, the installation cost will decrease due to economies of scale. But keep in mind that PVT panels are competitive with comparable standalone PV and solar thermal systems.
