date-created: '2010-06-04'
date-updated: '2026-09-16'
manifest-author:
    name: Appropedia
    email: admin@appropedia.org
title: 'Amorphous silicon PVT'
description: 'The concept of a photovoltaic solar thermal hybrid (PVT) has been around for over 30 years. However, due to the low efficiencies of the photovoltaic solar cell, PV/T were not economically feasible. In the past decade, PV/T has started to grow and this can be seen with the International Energy Association (IEA) Task 35 which is specifically on PV/T. The idea behind a PV/T system is to cool the photovoltaic (PV) solar panel with a coolant, usually water or air, and then use the excess heat to be used to heat up a water tank or a preheat for a house. It should be noted that photovoltaic solar cell output decreases with an increase in cell temperature above STC of 25 C. For this reason a PV/T is quite interesting because it will allow an increase in the photovoltaic cell efficiency as well as use the heat emitted from the cell. It should be also noted that the absorber of a solar thermal system likes to be hot since the greater the temperature difference from the coolant and the absorber, the greater the heat transfer.'
keywords: 'photovoltaic, solar thermal, pvt, amorphous silicon, Solar energy'
project-link: 'https://www.appropedia.org/Amorphous_silicon_PVT'
contact:
    name: U
    social:
        platform: Appropedia
        user-handle: U
version: 89
made: false
image: 'https://www.appropedia.org/w/images/thumb/7/79/Pvt-schematic.jpg/1280px-Pvt-schematic.jpg'
license:
    documentation: C
licensor:
    name: U
    affliation: C
    contact: 'https://www.appropedia.org/U'
documentation-home: 'https://www.appropedia.org/Amorphous_silicon_PVT'
documentation-language: e