Author Identifier
Barun K. Das: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5687-4768
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Journal of Cleaner Production
Volume
519
Publisher
Elsevier
School
School of Engineering
Funders
Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET), Bangladesh
Abstract
The efficiency and electricity production of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system are significantly influenced by the temperature of the PV module. Numerous studies have incorporated nanomaterials into phase change materials (PCM) integrated with PV systems to enhance thermodynamic performance; however, life-cycle aspects and the 7E sustainability indicators remain largely unaddressed. No study has yet explored paraffin wax hybridized with Al2O3 and graphene nanomaterials in specific ratios within a photovoltaic thermal (PVT) and fin system at an optimal fluid flow rate. Three different scenarios have been explored in this study, including a PVT/PCM system with a water-flowing fluid, a PVT/Fin arrangements/hybrid nano-PCM (3.0 wt % graphene and 1.0 wt % Al2O3 with paraffin wax) (PVT/Fin/HNPCM) system maintaining a steady water flow rate of 0.0083 kg/s for passive cooling and a conventional PV panel. The effectiveness of all three PV configurations using 7E (Energy, Exergy, Economic, Environmental, Energo-economic, Exergo-economic, Enviro-economic) and sustainability analyses has also been conducted. The HNPCM sample exhibited an improvement in thermal conductivity of about 480 % compared to pure PCM. The highest electrical and thermal energy efficiency of PVT/Fin/HNPCM is attained at about 15.40 % and 76.50 %, respectively. The cost for generating electricity for PVT/Fin/HNPCM has been 0.0149 $/kWh, compared to 0.0168 $/kWh for the PV, with a 23.18 % higher life-cycle conversion efficiency. PVT/Fin/HNPCM is the most sustainable system in the present investigation, having a high sustainable index of 1.022.
DOI
10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.146007
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Mohtasim, M. S., Paul, U. K., Kibria, M. G., & Das, B. K. (2025). 7E and sustainability analysis of photovoltaic thermal system (PVT) incorporating graphene and Al2O3 nano-particles with paraffin wax integrated fin arrangements. Journal of Cleaner Production, 519, 146007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.146007