A Review on the Heat Pipe Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) System

The Photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system combines the conventional PV panel with solar collector into one integrated system, which could achieve the function of generating power and providing thermal energy at the same time. Recently, it has become the most promising solar system for building applications. Most of the PV/T systems use water as the coolant, which could cause freezing problem in winter. To overcome this problem, the heat pipe PV/T system is developed to provide electrical and thermal energy stably without the seasonal barrier. Although some published review works have involved this type of PV/T system, they just stated a simple introduction on it, acting as a small part of their works. This paper focuses on the heat pipe PV/T system independently and provides a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of its performance. Firstly, the structure and operational principles of the heat pipe PV/T module and system are introduced concisely. Then the features and performance of different types of heat pipe PV/T systems, i.e., integral heat pipe, loop heat pipe, and pulsating heat pipe PV/T system, are presented and analyzed. This is followed by the review on the performance of the systems which combine heat pipe PV/T module and other devices. Finally, the research gaps in this field are identified, and some future research trends and directions are recommended.