Techno-economic and environmental assessment of a photovoltaic thermal collector integrated with a horizontal axis wind turbine: Combined heat and power generation application

This study assesses the techno-economic and environmental performance of a hybrid renewable energy system that integrates a photovoltaic–thermal (PVT) collector, horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT), thermal energy storage, and a battery bank for combined heat and power (CHP) generation in Mafraq, Jordan. Designed to supply 100–1500 kW of electricity and 120 m³ of hot water annually, the system was modeled in MATLAB/Simulink® using over 100,000 Solargis™ weather data points. Different working fluids (water, ethylene glycol–water, Therminol VP-1, and nanofluids) were investigated to optimize heat transfer and system efficiency. PVT collectors achieved electrical and thermal efficiencies of 10–18 % and 10–70 %, respectively with overall performance peaking at 37 %. The CuO-SiO₂/ethylene glycol–water nanofluid provided the highest efficiency. While wind power remained stable at ∼600 kW with a power coefficient of 0.216, the system demonstrated an average efficiency of 14.5 % and a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of 0.136 $/kWh. Solar radiation and ambient temperature were the manin factors to storage capacity and efficiency. Replacing fossil fuels with the proposed system could cut CO₂ emissions by 18.3–20.9 Mt, equivalent to carbon credit revenues of up to 836 $ supporting the system's technical viability, economic competitiveness, and environmental benefits.