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Increasing energy demand in buildings in the last decade has led to more efficient usage of renewable energy. Building integrated photovoltaic/thermal systems is one of the effective ways of reducing energy consumption in buildings by providing heating, cooling, ventilation, hot water, and air. The enhancement of photovoltaic cell temperature reduces the electrical efficiency of photovoltaic panel systems. In this regard, the effects of cooling with air and phase change material layer are investigated in this study. The simulation of BIPV/T, PV, and heat pump was done in TRNSYS. As the main novelty of recent simulation, for the calculations of phase change material layer, MATLAB coupled with the TRNSYS, and Python software was used for the prediction process under the weather conditions of Sharurah, Saudi Arabia for 2022. Also, the performance of a building integrated photovoltaic/thermal system with a phase change material layer is predicted for 2024 and 2025 by the Random Forest machine learning method. The R squared, Root Mean Squared Error, and Mean Absolute Error are utilized for checking the accuracy of the model. Also, for more certainty, a validation was done on the simulated results of TRNSYS and the results showed high conformity of data. The simulated data for the first six months of 2022 showed that the maximum cooling effect happened in June with 25.47 °C and a 37.87 % reduction in photovoltaic cell temperature. Also, the best electrical efficiency improvement was 1.26 % while the thermal efficiency ranged from 29.65 % to 59.40 %, respectively. The predicted data was confirmed by R2, RMSE, and MAE equal to 96.64 %, 0.06 and 0.04. According to the simulation and predictions done, the annual electrical production of the building is achieved. The results indicate that, for the simulated system, about 29.7 %, 29.8 %, and 29.6 % of total energy utilization could be supplied by BIPV/T cooled with phase change material in 2022, 2024, and 2025, respectively. • Simulation and performance prediction done for BIPV/T system cooled with PCM layer. • Random Forest method validation with simulation results showed R2 equal to 97.91 %. • Highest cooling performance of PCM was 1.26 % in the first six months of 2022. • Total efficiency obtained for the second six months of 2022 ranged from 58 % to 61 %. • Predicted electrical efficiency for system in 2024 and 2025 were 11.20 % and 11.26 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen emerges as a pivotal energy carrier, shaping the future of the energy landscape. This study explores the potential of utilizing solar energy for green hydrogen production, presenting a promising avenue for low-carbon energy generation. Despite its potential, uncertainties stemming from the intermittent nature of solar energy, demand fluctuations, and economic considerations pose challenges to its widespread adoption. The paper delves into the performance of a power-to-hydrogen system, employing solid oxide electrolyzers to convert electricity from solar arrays into green hydrogen. Two distinct system architectures are proposed: the dedicated configuration, where the owner of the solar array and power-to-hydrogen facilities are the same, and the non-dedicated configuration, where the power-to-hydrogen system purchases solar electricity from the owner of the solar power plant. Simulation results from the case study reveal that the non-dedicated system offers superior economic performance compared to the dedicated system. Considering different hydrogen demand levels and electrolyzer sizes, the levelized cost of hydrogen in the non-dedicated scheme is below 2 $/kg, demonstrating competitive pricing within the realm of renewable technologies. However, solar-assisted green hydrogen faces tough competition with traditional sources of hydrogen production when considering economic aspects. • The effect of component size and demand level on green hydrogen production has been analyzed. • Two scenarios, dedicated and non-dedicated configurations, have been investigated. • The component size has been optimized for various demand levels in both configurations. • Simulation results indicate superior LCOH performance in the non-dedicated configuration. • Solar hydrogen production faces tough competition from conventional technologies in final pricing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]