It is clear that solar thermal and power systems will play an important role in the future energy supply. Recent governmental schemes addressed that by 2050, the solar photovoltaic (PV) will generate nearly 11% of global electricity while the solar thermal will deliver about 50% of the low and medium temperature heat in the EU. The global solar market has achieved over €25 billion in 2013 and its annual growth rate is anticipated to be 10% over the next 5 years.

Solar thermal and power are usually two different technologies that make use of solar thermal collectors and photovoltaic (PV) modules separately. Most solar thermal collectors are built on the straight heat pipe or panel absorber technology and installed on the building roofs and walls. These thermal devices have the problems of long water piping run, large flow resistance, large heat loss, and winter freezing potential, which have restricted their wider applications. Most PV modules are installed onto the building façade; this installation would trap significant amount of heat behind the PVs that would lead to the increased PV temperature and decreased PVs electrical efficiency.

To make efficient use of solar resource and, in particular, to enhance the PVs’ electrical efficiency, a technology incorporating the PV modules and solar thermal collectors into an integrated unit has recently been investigated. This technology, termed as PV/Thermal (PV/T), made use of air, water, PCM fluids, refrigerants, or heat-pipe fluids as the cooling medium that was passed across the rear channels of the PV modules, removed the trapped heat from the PVs and brought it into the building space for providing space heating and hot water. As a result, the PVs were cooled and their electrical efficiency was increased and the trapped heat behind the PVs was effectively used, leading to enhanced solar overall efficiency.

We invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will stimulate the continuous efforts on understanding the operational principles of the various PV/T systems, development of innovative materials, or configurations in relation to PV/T, characterisation, or assessment of energy and social-economic performance of the PV/T systems, as well as analyses of their applications in buildings and other occasions. We are particularly interested in articles describing the new materials, methods, theories, or practical innovations that can help enhance the thermal and power performance of the PV/T technologies.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Recent development in PV/T research
• Advance in materials
• Advance in structures and configurations
• New theories or methods applied in simulation
• New approaches to assess the social-economical performance
• Innovative applications in various occasions