ABSTRACT
Integration of photovoltaic systems in buildings offers a very important scope to expand the photovoltaic market by contributing, moreover, to a reduction in the use of fossil sources of energy. Photovoltaic-thermal hybrid systems generate electric and thermal energy, and they can increase photovoltaic systems efficiency. In order to evaluate this increase in the efficiency, it has been designed and built an hybrid system formed by a photovoltaic module and a thermal collector, both placed in parallel planes. In the gap between the planes there will be an air layer flowing up due to natural convection producing a cooling effect in the photovoltaic module and increasing its efficiency. To evaluate the increase in the efficiency, real-sun measurements have been made with the hybrid system. The results have been analyzed using different indicators of the system thermal behaviour.
