There has been an on-going interest in the development of combined photovoltaic thermal (PVT) technology for increased solar energy conversion efficiencies. Since its inception, combined PVT technology has sought to develop the most cost-effective PVT package for solar cell protection and efficient operation. However, early efforts were made at a time when the photovoltaic (PV) industry was not mature enough. In addition, solar cells are still expensive and their efficiency drops at high temperatures. Today, most research efforts focus on improving the solar cell cost-performance ratio as...

There has been an on-going interest in the development of combined photovoltaic thermal (PVT) technology for increased solar energy conversion efficiencies. Since its inception, combined PVT technology has sought to develop the most cost-effective PVT package for solar cell protection and efficient operation. However, early efforts were made at a time when the photovoltaic (PV) industry was not mature enough. In addition, solar cells are still expensive and their efficiency drops at high temperatures. Today, most research efforts focus on improving the solar cell cost-performance ratio as...