Energy requirements of a walnut processing facility with photovoltaic thermal system design: Implementation in Van province

Supplying energy from renewable energy sources plays an important role in solving the problems of fossil fuel-based greenhouse gas emissions, global warming and climate change. Since it contains high energy, clean and continuous solar energy, it is tried to be used more widely than other renewable energy sources. Photovoltaic (PV) technology, in which solar energy can be directly converted into electrical energy, is a highly preferred method in electricity generation. The fact that many regions of our country are exposed to significant solar radiation reveals the necessity of using photovoltaic systems in our country. In this study, it is was aimed to meet the energy requirement of the walnut processing plant, which is one of the agricultural enterprises by producing electricity with photovoltaic energy, the application area of which is increasing day by day in the province of Van, which is advantageous in terms of solar energy potential in our country. Accordingly, two different energy generation systems were designed for the walnut processing plant. In the first design, the energy production required for walnut processing was realized with PV modules placed on the roof of the facility. Natural gas and fuel-oil fuels were used for the walnut drying process. In the second design, part of the electricity production for walnut processing was met from the PV modules on the roof of the plant, and the other part from the concentrated photovoltaic thermal (CPVT) system placed on the plant floor. The walnut drying process was carried out with hot water obtained from the CPVT system. The air used in the walnut drying process was heated using a heat exchanger with hot water obtained from the CPVT system. Depending on the walnut drying time, hot water was obtained from the CPVT module at different temperatures. In addition, M-Si and P-Si PV cell types were tried for both designs and the effect of PV cell type was tried to be determined. These two designs are compared in terms of electricity and heat generation. In addition, optimization studies were carried out in terms of electricity and heating costs, and the most suitable electricity production and drying conditions were tried to be determined. As a result of the optimization study, it was determined that the most suitable parameter values in terms of electricity production and heating cost were hot water at 40ºC, drying time of 31 hours, and M-Si cell type. The results of thermodynamic and thermoeconomic analysis revealed that with the use of CPVT system in the walnut processing plant, both the electricity generation and the heating costs required for walnut drying can be reduced.