Honeycomb checkered fins Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT): Numerical analysis and experiment validation

This study introduces a novel honeycomb checkered fins configuration for double-pass photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collectors, aiming to address critical thermal inefficiencies and enhance energy-exergy performance. In contrast to conventional fins, the honeycomb checkered fins effectively integrate a hexagonal honeycomb and checkered pattern configuration to optimize the surface area-to-volume ratio, promote consistent turbulence, and reduce heat hotspots on the photovoltaic (PV) module. Numerical analysis conducted at an irradiance level of 1000 W/m 2 and mass flow rates ranging from 0.04 kg/s to 0.21 kg/s demonstrated that the honeycomb configuration (G3) attained enhanced thermal and electrical performance. Experimental validation under controlled indoor conditions validated the numerical prediction with a negligible percentage error of ≤0.24 %. The G3 design achieved thermal efficiency ranging from 47.5 % to 68.7 % and electrical efficiency between 13.03 % and 13.30 %, with PV module temperature reduction of up to 6 °C. Exergy study further revealed the system's capacity to optimize useable work, sustaining thermal exergy between 14.32 and 10.65 W and electrical exergy of 6.34–6.86 W across different flow rates. These findings highlight the ability of honeycomb checkered fins for scalable, enhanced efficiency PVT systems while supporting Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 7 and SDG 13).