Experimental investigation on hybrid PV/T active solar still with effective heating and cover cooling method

A hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) active solar still and a conventional passive solar still with single slope were designed, fabricated and experimented at three different water depths (0.05 m, 0.10 m, and 0.15 m). For the higher production of distillate water, a nickel-chromium (NiCr) heater powered by solar photovoltaic (PV) was incorporated in the proposed hybrid active still. Solar PV module was cooled by the saline water which increases the efficiency of the solar PV as well as the distillate water production. The daily yield from the proposed hybrid active (PV/T) solar still is 6 times more than the conventional passive still. This new system of renewable energy based power and distillate water production is highly self-sustainable in the remote areas. From the experimental study it is clear that, the proposed hybrid active (PV/T) solar still gives an enhanced overall thermal and electrical efficiency, that is nearly 25% higher than the conventional passive one.