AUTHOR(S)

Solar cooling technologies have become essential, especially in tropical countries due to the amount of solar radiation and the growing need for cooling. Gigantically, this study aims to depict a hybrid solar cooling system driven by a photovoltaic/thermal unit. The PV cells are used to power a Vapor Compression Refrigeration (VCR) cycle; whereas the waste thermal energy that has been utilized from cooling the PV modules is applicably used to run the Ejector Cooling Refrigeration (ECR) cycle. A mathematical model of the system has been generated to simulate this hybrid solar cooling system. The electrical energy derived from the PV cells was used to run the (VCR) cycle, resulting in a cooling capacity that ranges from a minimum of 3.215 kW to a maximum of 3.99 kW. Meanwhile, the heat utilized by cooling the PV modules was used to run the ECR resulting in an additional cooling capacity arranges from a minimum of 1.85 to a maximum of 2.46 kW. Consequently, as a result, the total cooling capacity of the hybrid system arranges from 5.14 kW to 6.4 kW with a COP of 5.8 and a maximum of 6.9 have been occupied during the period of study. Compared to the conventional VCR cycle powered by a solar non-cooled PV unit, the hybrid system has produced 24.8% increasingly more cooling capacity while using the same (25 m2 ) area of panels in July privately when running the system for 18 hours. Based on the economic viability of the system, crucially the payback period of the added cost from combining the VCR with the ECR systems will be returned within 7.3 years.