PhD project: Next-generation hybrid PV-X technologies for the sustainable, independent provision of solar heat, power, clean water, fuels and other renewable vectors

Imperial College London is offering a PhD project focused on developing next-generation hybrid solar PV-X technologies for sustainable energy solutions, including solar heat, power, and clean water. The project aims to enhance the efficiency of solar energy systems by integrating photovoltaic cells with thermal collectors. Candidates will receive advanced training in Chemical Engineering and work in a well-equipped department committed to gender equality.
The uptake of technologies that can harness solar energy to cater to diverse energy demands in buildings has been increasing markedly. In these applications, photovoltaic (PV) panels are used for power generation whereas solar-thermal collectors are used for low-temperature water heating. However, the possibility of using so-called ‘hybrid’ solar PV-thermal (PV-T) collectors has recently emerged, as these can meet varying building/user demands for power, water or space heating from a single device, while offering significant benefits in overall affordability and performance (e.g. emission reductions), especially where roof-space is limited.

Of note in this context is that PV panels are typically less than 20% efficient in delivering electricity from the Sun’s energy with the remainder lost to the environment as waste heat. At the same time, PV panels experience a deterioration in performance (efficiency) when they are operated at higher temperatures. This loss has motivated the development of the aforementioned hybrid PV-T collector technologies, which combine PV cells with a contacting fluid flow. The fluid is used to recover some of the waste heat from the cells, thus delivering a potentially useful thermal output from the collector, while simultaneously cooling the cells and increasing their electrical efficiency. In this project we will propose a new concept, that we refer to as ‘PV-X’ solar collectors, which harnesses additional performance benefits when these secondary processes are integrated synergistically with the PV cells and performed directly within the collector. In this way, a single solar device can deliver solar heat, power, clean water, fuels and other renewable vectors.

We intend to design a new type of collector, and to optimise the design to maximize the combined efficiency of all generated vectors, in particular by introducing a spectral-splitting concept. This will allow us to enhance the thermal energy captured by the collector without unnecessarily heating the PV cells, thereby also enabling an increase in electrical performance. Challenges associated with solar intermittency, variable demand patterns and heat rejection from these systems may also be explored through integration with energy storage. We will then fabricate a test a first-of-a-king hybrid PV-X collector.

The Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London offers an advanced 3-4-year research degree that provides in-depth specialist training and knowledge in a topical area pertaining to Chemical Engineering and related Engineering and Science disciplines. The Department has state-of-the-art experimental and computational facilities and is the home of the Automated high-throughput platform suite, the Sargent Centre for Process Systems Engineering and the Sustainable Futures Lab.

The Department holds a Silver Athena Swan award for good practice in supporting academic women and gender equality renewed in 2024. This award recognises the good practices already in place for supporting women at all stages as well as our commitment to removing barriers to equal progress and achievement.

In order to be considered for the Chemical Engineering PhD, you will need to submit your PhD application for admission through the online admissions system. Full details on the application and selection process can be found on our webpages.

We encourage all interested applicants to contact Dr Markides (c.markides@imperial.ac.uk) before making an application.