Hybrid PVT active multicompartment solar still with heat transfer and accumulation technique (HTAT) for enhancing the efficiency and productivity of solar PV and solar still

The human activities of the technological world, the requirement of electricity and water increase day by day. The proposed hybrid PVT(Photovoltaic/Thermal) active multicompartment solar still Heat Transfer and Accumulation Technique (HTHA) is used to enhance electrical and thermal efficiency. The method is used to monitor and control the performance by using a microcontroller unit. Simultaneously, solar PV has a backside tank with Phase-Changing Material (PCM) to reduce the solar PV temperature and improve efficiency. The rehashed or waste Valvoline oils are acted as PCM. The modified multicompartment solar still is constructed by a main compartment surrounded with backside, right side, and left side compartments. The size of the surrounding compartment is smaller than the main compartment. Each compartment has a different heat storage material, and a small nostril is present between each compartment. The rehashed oil from the backside solar PV tank gets collected on the solar still's backside compartment. The solar still's right and left side compartments have waste metals, copper, and saltwater. The final main compartment has waste metals, copper, nickel–chromium lead. When the blower runs, heat transfer occurs from the other compartment to the main compartment. The main compartment heat is increased in more amounts because of absorption heat from solar still and added with other compartments heat. Salt water is placed in the main compartment at a specified level. For this heat transfer and accumulation, increase in condensation happens. The use of a multicompartment hybrid PVT active solar still resulted in an electrical efficiency of 11.9 % and a thermal efficiency of 18.24 %.