An analytical study on the effect of different photovoltaic technologies on enviro-economic parameter and energy metrics of active solar desalting unit

• Published in: Energy (Oxford) Vol. 294; p. 130851
• Main Authors: Singh, Vivek, Kumar, Rakesh, Saxena, Abhishek, Dobriyal, Ritvik, Tiwari, Sumit, Singh, Desh Bandhu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2024
• Subjects: Carbon credit earned; Embodied energy; Energy metrics; Enviro-economic parameter; Packing factor; Solar still; Solar still; Carbon credit earned; Embodied energy; Enviro-economic parameter; Energy metrics; Packing factor
• ISSN: 0360-5442
• DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2024.130851

The enviro-economic and energy metrics analyses of the solar system by incorporating different photovoltaic technologies are required to fulfill the sustainable development goal of the United Nations. However, the effect of different photovoltaic technologies on the solar distillation system has not been informed by any of the researchers to date. This research gap has been explored in this study. The present manuscript is an endeavour to explore the best photovoltaic technology aimed at a single-slope solar desalting unit comprised of N identical photovoltaic thermal flat-plate-collectors. Data regarding all four weather conditions for a year for New Delhi's climate have been procured from the Indian Meteorological Department situated in the western part of India. Fundamental equations along with input data have been provided to a computational code developed in MATLAB for the estimation of various performance parameters. Concludingly, the energy payback time is minimum (1.64 years) for the case of copper indium gallium selenide photovoltaic technology, however, maximum values of life cycle conversion efficiency and net CO2 mitigation are respectively 0.171 and 199.10 tons of CO2 for the case of crystalline silicon photovoltaic technology. The carbon credit is also found to be a maximum (15269.25 US$) for crystalline silicon photovoltaic technology. •Effect of different PV technologies on output of active solar still has been estimated.•c-Si is the most suitable PV technology for CO2 mitigation and carbon credit earned.•CIGS is the best PV technology from the point of view of energy payback time.