Enhancing Thermoelectric Efficiency Through Combined and Shunt Solar Chimneys: An Investigation of Vented Photovoltaic Panels with Multiple Inlets

This paper presents a computational analysis of the thermoelectric efficiency of hybrid solar chimneys equipped with ventilated photovoltaic (PV) panels with multiple fresh air inlets.The problem addressed is the overheating of the photovoltaic cells, which reduces their electrical efficiency.The influence of multiple air inlets on the electrical and thermal performance of PV/T collectors is the focus of this study.The main objective is to reduce the overheating of the photovoltaic cells and improve their efficiency.This is achieved by using multiple passive ventilation sources instead of placing ventilation systems behind the photovoltaic panels to extract heat and distribute warm air.The implicit finite difference approach is used to discretize the governing heat and mass transfer equations, which are then solved using the Thomas algorithm and the iterative Gauss-Seidel method.The results are obtained by adjusting several important factors, including Raleigh and Reynolds numbers and chimney geometric aspects.The results show that the simultaneous addition of several fresh air openings improves the thermal efficiency by 68% and the electrical efficiency by 5% compared to a chimney with a single vertical duct.The study concludes that this system offers an effective solution for improving the performance of photovoltaic panels, thus contributing to clean energy production.