State-of-the-art in thin-film PV/T and PV/TEG panel design and thermal integration
Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization and Environmental Effects, cilt.48, sa.1, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Derleme
- Cilt numarası: 48 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1080/15567036.2026.2739557
- Dergi Adı: Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization and Environmental Effects
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, ABI/INFORM, Applied Science & Technology Source, Compendex, Environment Index, Greenfile, INSPEC, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Engineering Source (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: PV/T systems, solar energy conversion, thermal integration, thermoelectric generators, thin-film photovoltaics
- Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Thin-film photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) and photovoltaic/thermoelectric generator (PV/TEG) hybrid systems offer a promising pathway for simultaneously recovering photovoltaic thermal losses as useful energy and improving overall solar conversion efficiency. Despite growing interest, existing reviews typically address PV/T or PV/TEG architectures in isolation, focus predominantly on crystalline silicon rather than thin-film materials, and rarely integrate thermal, environmental, and techno-economic perspectives within a single framework. This review fills that gap by providing a unified critical assessment that systematically compares thin-film photovoltaic materials–including amorphous silicon, CdTe, CIGS, perovskites, organic photovoltaics, and dye-sensitized solar cells–across both PV/T and PV/TEG hybrid configurations. Simultaneously, it evaluates their thermal integration strategies, environmental impacts, and economic viability. Based on a structured literature search of approximately 130 primary sources published between 2015 and 2025, the analysis yields four key findings: (i) nanofluid-cooled microchannel PV/TEG systems achieve up to 49.2% improvement in PV electrical output, though this gain is contingent upon minimizing interfacial thermal resistance and parasitic pumping losses; (ii) PCM-assisted configurations reduce PV operating temperatures by approximately 24 °C and reach overall efficiencies of up to 14.2%, making them particularly suitable for CdTe and CIGS substrates where thermal stability is critical; (iii) heat-pipe-assisted designs improve PV output by approximately 4% under elevated ambient conditions while maintaining system simplicity; and (iv) favorable deployment scenarios project LCOE values of 4–6 ct/kWh with energy payback times of 0.5–3 years. The review further identifies that performance claims in the literature are frequently obscured by methodological inconsistencies–such as the lack of standardized testing baselines, the omission of parasitic pumping losses, and the neglect of thermal contact resistances–leading to systemic overestimations of real-world viability. By integrating material selection, thermal design, and techno-economic interpretation, this review provides actionable guidance for designing high-efficiency, scalable thin-film hybrid systems and defines critical directions for future experimental validation.