A review of photovoltaic-assisted solar energy applications for enhanced thermal and electrical efficiency

The use of solar energy devices has become increasingly widespread in recent decades due to the abundant availability of solar energy and the growing need to reduce environmental pollution. Photovoltaic modules are primarily used to generate electricity and can simultaneously produce thermal energy that can be utilized in other solar devices. Over the past few decades, numerous solar energy applications have been integrated with photovoltaic modules to improve the thermal and electrical efficiencies of these systems. The present paper reviews various solar energy devices that utilize electricity generated by photovoltaic systems, recover and utilize the thermal energy produced by PV modules, or combine both thermal and electrical energy. The reviewed applications are compared in terms of their energy utilization strategies, thermal and electrical performance, and integration configurations. In addition, the overall energy performance and performance of solar technologies, including solar desalination units, solar cookers, solar air heaters, and solar water heaters integrated with PV systems, are examined to identify the benefits and limitations of different integration approaches. Also, a brief comparison of previous studies is presented and discussed to improve the understanding of efficient and cost-effective integrated solar energy system (ISES) designs. Moreover, a SWOT analysis is conducted to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of PV-assisted solar applications, while their contributions toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDGs 2, 6, 7, 9, 12, and 13, are also discussed. The review shows that using both electrical and thermal energy from PV modules can improve the overall performance of integrated solar systems. PV-powered DC heaters can also enhance the thermal performance of certain solar applications. Results indicated that the thermal efficiency of the PV-assisted solar cooker by using PCM and ETC was increased by 38%. Additionally, the CPP of solar air dryer using V-shaped fins has an adversely impact by about 10%.