Production of hydrogen as value added product from the photovoltaic thermal system operated with graphene nanoparticles: An experimental study

Abstract

Hydrogen is a growing alternative for fossil fuels that may be used to combat the energy shortfall that exists in a variety of industries, most notably the transportation and power generation industries. In this research work, the utilization of solar energy for the generation of electricity and production of hydrogen are thoroughly covered. A hybrid photovoltaic thermal system (PVT) has been used to generate the hydrogen via electrolysis process. To enhance the thermal efficiency of the PVT, graphene oxide nanofluids have been utilized. Graphene oxide nanofluids dispersed at the mass flow rates, such as 0.8 g/s, 1.0 g/s, and 1.2 g/s using sonication technique. A series of tests conducted between 9.00 A.M. to 4.00 P.M. to determine the parameters such as cell temperature, electrical efficiency, thermal efficiency and hydrogen mass flow rate. The procured results of the PVT carried out with the utilization of air and water as coolants were compared with PVT with nanofluids. From the findings it is evident that the performance of the system was significantly enhanced by the utilization of nanofluids at the optimized concentration compared to conventional water and air. With regard to the nanofluids mass flow rate, concentration of 1.2 g/s reported higher electrical (8.6%) and thermal efficiency (33.3%) compared to water. Added to above, there is a profound increase in the mass flow rate of hydrogen that has been observed at 1.2 g/s.