Research Article

Environmental Life-Cycle Analysis of Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic/Thermal Systems for Use in Hong Kong

Table 1

Collector and technical design data of free-stand PV/T system.

Design parametersData

Glazing (low-iron glass)

Thickness0.004 m
Emissivity 0.88
Extinction coefficient26/m
Refraction index1.526
Depth of air gap underneath0.025 m

PV encapsulation
(TPT + EVA + solar cell + EVA + TPT + silicon gel)

Solar cell typesingle-crystalline silicon
Cell area1.11 m2
Cell electrical efficiency at STC13%
Solar cell temperature coefficient0.005/K
Emissivity0.8
Absorptivity0.8
Packing factor (wrt glazing)63%

Thermal absorber (Aluminum)

No. of flat-box absorber module15
Absorber module size0.105 × 1.38 × 0.012 m
No. of header2
Header size1.575 × 0.025 (dia.) × 0.002 (thick) m

Thermal insulation layer (glass wool)

Thickness0.03 m

Back cover (galvanized iron)

Thickness0.001 m

Water tank and connecting pipes

Water storage capacity155 kg
Tank length1.2 m
Tank diameter0.21 m
Pipe diameter0.015 m
Thickness of insulation layer at tank0.025 m
Thickness of insulation layer on pipe0.02 m