Numerical investigation of the performance characteristics of conventional and finned air-cooled photovoltaic/thermal (pv/t) systems

The concept of "sustainable energy," which aims for energy use without causing irreversible environmental damage, disrupting ecological balance, and in accordance with the concept of intergenerational justice, has become a common policy adopted by the international community. Photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) systems, which increase electrical efficiency by removing excess heat and using it for beneficial purposes, are attracting increasing attention. While it is generally known that adding fins to traditional PV/T systems increases electrical and thermal efficiency, the effects of different fin types on PV/T system performance have not yet been fully determined. In this thesis, the performance of traditional (PV/T-C) and Z-fin (PV/T-F) air-cooled PV/T systems is numerically investigated through comprehensive energy, exergy, and sustainability analyses. Simulations were performed using ANSYS Fluent 2025 R1. The numerical validation of the proposed model was carried out by comparing the obtained results with experimental data in the literature. The electrical efficiency, thermal efficiency, and total efficiency of the PV/T-F system increased by 2.61%, 18.44%, and 17.18%, respectively, compared to the PV/T-C system. Furthermore, the use of fins in PV/T-F systems increased the overall exergy efficiency by 2.57% and the sustainability index by 0.32%. The findings demonstrate that PV/T-F systems provide higher thermal, exergy, and sustainability performance compared to PV/T-C systems under the climatic conditions of Malatya, Turkey. This thesis highlights the critical role of fin geometry in improving PV/T system performance and offers valuable insights for the design of more efficient and sustainable solar energy systems.