The current study assesses several water-based PVT system thermal absorber configurations. The thermal absorber in PVT system plays a vital role in efficiency evaluation as it lowers PV temperature and collects heat energy. The current study aims to discover and analyze advanced thermal absorber design by comparing well-received spiral circular absorbers and non-cooled PV with proposed semi-circular thermal absorbers with varying flow configurations. The proposed thermal absorber maintains surface contact with PV panels and improves heat transfer thereby yielding better thermal and electrical efficiency. Simulated PVT systems have a constant water flow rate and solar radiation. The CFD-FLUENT software was preferred to evaluate the PVT system in steady-state conditions for the investigation. Under constant ambient and inlet water temperatures of 299 K, the PV temperatures at the surface, water discharge temperature, and pressure drop were measured. It was discovered that a thermal absorber could effectively lower PV surface temperature by cooling. A zigzag thermal absorber was the most efficient since it produced the highest water outlet temperature and lowest PV surface temperature while also slightly raising the pressure drop. In comparison with a non-cooled PV system, a zigzag thermal absorber PVT system yields 11.97% more electrical efficiency, with an addition of 76.75% thermal efficiency. It was also noticed that a conventional spiral circular PVT system provides 13.5% electrical efficiency and 54.8% thermal efficiency while an electrical efficiency of 13.61% and thermal efficiency is 76.75% was obtained from a zigzag thermal absorber PVT system. The zigzag thermal absorber PVT system had a high initial investment of INR 38809.00. It showed a simple payback of 4.63 years, a 28% return on investment with a promising 2.1 Debt Service Coverage Ratio. It is advisable to consider incorporating zigzag semi-circular PVT in the prospective improvements of the PVT system.
The microgrid (MG) faces significant security issues due to the two-way power and information flow. Integrating an Energy Management System (EMS) to balance energy supply and demand in Malaysian microgrids, this study designs a Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) that considers intermittent renewable sources and fluctuating demand patterns. FLC offers a flexible solution to energy scheduling effectively assessed by MATLAB/Simulink simulations. The microgrid consists of PV, battery, grid, and load. A Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) controller helps to extract the maximum PV output and manages the power storage by providing or absorbing excess power. System analysis is performed by observing the State of Charge (SoC)of the battery and output power for each source. The grid supplies additional power if the battery and PV fail to meet the load demand. Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) analysis compares the performance of the Proportional-Integral Controller (PIC) and FLC. The results show that the PI controller design reduces the THD in the current signal, while FLC does not reduce the THD of the grid current when used in the EMS. However, FLC offers better control over the battery's SOC, effectively preventing overcharging and over-discharging. While PI reduces THD, FLC provides superior SOC control in a system comprising PV, battery, grid, and load. The findings demonstrate that the output current is zero when the SOC is higher than 80% or lower than 20%, signifying that no charging or discharging takes place to avoid overcharging and over-discharging. The third goal was accomplished by comparing and confirming that the grid current's THD for the EMS designed with both the PI Controller and the FLC is maintained below 5%, following the IEEE 519 harmonic standard, using the THD block in MATLAB Simulink. This analysis highlights FLC's potential to address demand-supply mismatches and renewable energy variability, which is crucial for optimizing microgrid performance.