Technical and market potential of solar PV/thermal modules combined with ground source heat pumps

Abstract: This bachelor thesis investigates the market and technical potential of combining PV-T technology with ground source heat pumps for multi-family housings in Sweden. The basic idea is to first convert ordinary solar panels to solar panels that are cooled which reduces their resistance. This makes them more efficient and increases their life expectancy. The heat extracted is then utilized to make the heat pump more efficient. This can be done in multiple ways. Different system setups are therefore considered and the most optimal one is modelled and evaluated. The model is created in Excel using weather data from Sweden. It calculates the borehole temperature, COP and simple payback time for the system, varying different interesting inputs. The conclusion is that the best system solution is to transfer the PV-T coolant heat to the borehole. The result also shows that the performance of the system is improved the most for buildings with low heat losses, but that the simple payback time is longer in those cases. The potential of a system like this is not promising due to the long simple payback time, more detailed modelling is required so that a more realistic result can be achieved to see if it becomes shorter.