Zainal Arifin, Dominicus Danardono Dwi Prija Tjahjana, Chico Hermanu Brillianto Apribowo, Mochamad Choifin, Eflita Yohana, Denny Widyiyanuriyawan, Yuki Trisnoaji, Noval Fattah Alfaiz, Singgih Dwi Prasetyo
This study uses numerical simulations coupled between ANSYS Fluent and Transient Thermal. This study examines the thermal and electrical performance of Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT) systems combined with Phase Change Materials (PCM). The study focused on the influence of the three finless, quadrilateral, and honeycomb fin geometric configurations on temperature distribution and overall system efficiency. Paraffin is used as a PCM due to its suitable thermophysical properties and good thermal stability in the operating range of solar panels. Simulations were carried out at variations in the intensity of solar radiation (400, 600, 800, and 1000 W/m²) to reflect real conditions. The results showed that the honeycomb configuration resulted in the highest thermal efficiency of 18.58% and electrical efficiency of 14.63% at maximum radiation intensity, outperforming the other two designs. Statistical analysis with Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) proves that radiation intensity and the fins' geometric shape significantly influence the system's efficiency. These findings confirm the importance of passive thermal design optimization in improving PVT-PCM system performance for sustainable solar energy applications. © 2025 The authors. This article is published by IIETA and is licensed under the CC BY 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, 57126, Indonesia; Department of Electrical Engineering, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, 57126, Indonesia; CV Energy Surya Indonesia, Sidoarjo, 61256, Indonesia; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang, 50275, Indonesia; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Power Plant Engineering Technology, State University of Malang, Malang, 65145, Indonesia
