Fabrication, Characterization, and Modeling of Functionally Graded Materials for Energy Efficient Buildings

A hybrid solar panel has been invented to integrate photovoltaic (PV) cells onto a substrate through a functionally graded material (FGM) with water tubes cast inside, through which water serves as both heat sink and solar heat collector. Therefore, the efficiency of PV cells can be improved by temperature control while the heat conduction to the substrate can be minimized for saving of air conditioning. Solar panel prototypes have been fabricated and tested at different water flow rates and solar irradiation intensities. The temperature distribution in the solar panel is measured in experiment and simulated to evaluate the performance of the solar panel by the finite element simulation. The understanding of heat transfer in the hybrid solar panel prototypes will provide a foundation for future solar panel design and optimization.