International Journal of Renewable Energy Development
Vol 15, No 6 (2026): November 2026

Techno-economic and environmental assessment of source-side and load-side PV/T-assisted ground source heat pump systems

Haiqin Yu (Shandong Huayu University of Technology, No. 968, East Daxue Road, Dezhou, 253000, Shandong)
Hongshui Yu (Shandong Huayu University of Technology, No. 968, East Daxue Road, Dezhou, 253000, Shandong)
Yanyan Zhang (Shandong Huayu University of Technology, No. 968, East Daxue Road, Dezhou, 253000, Shandong)
Ling Lu (Shandong Huayu University of Technology, No. 968, East Daxue Road, Dezhou, 253000, Shandong)



Article Info

Publish Date
01 Nov 2026

Abstract

Building heating consumes substantial energy and contributes significantly to global carbon emissions. Integrating photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) modules with ground source heat pumps (GSHP) offers a promising sustainable solution, effectively addressing the soil thermal imbalance and low energy efficiency inherent in conventional GSHP systems. This study proposes and mathematically models two hybrid configurations: PV/T modules integrated on the source side and the load side, respectively. Component models were validated against experimental data (maximum error < 6%) to conduct a comprehensive 20-year comparative assessment across energy, economic, environmental, and soil thermal balance dimensions. Simulation results indicate that both configurations successfully mitigate soil temperature decline, achieving long-term soil thermal balance and effective seasonal solar thermal storage. However, the source-side PV/T-GSHP system exhibits superior overall performance. It delivers a higher Primary Energy Ratio (PER) and Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER), a lower Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) of 0.36 RMB/kWh, an 11.14% higher annual total cost-saving rate, and an 8.47% improvement in CO₂ emission reductions compared to the load-side system. These findings provide optimized configuration strategies and reliable performance data for PV/T-GSHP systems, significantly promoting the efficient utilization of solar-geothermal hybrid energy in low-carbon building applications.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

ijred

Publisher

Subject

Control & Systems Engineering Earth & Planetary Sciences Electrical & Electronics Engineering Energy Engineering

Description

The International Journal of Renewable Energy Development - (Int. J. Renew. Energy Dev.; p-ISSN: 2252-4940; e-ISSN:2716-4519) is an open access and peer-reviewed journal co-published by Center of Biomass and Renewable Energy (CBIORE) that aims to promote renewable energy researches and developments, ...