A recent review on thermal management of photovoltaic panels using phase change material based on thermal conductivity enhancers for sustainable buildings

Energy is a crucial factor in a nation's ability to develop sustainably. One of the primary means of achieving sustainably is through the use of renewable energy. Photovoltaic (PV) is considered a popular renewable energy production technology. However, the PV power production is negatively impacted by the PV temperature raise. Different strategies have been proposed to reduce the impact of temperature on PV cells. One of them is the use of phase change material (PCM). PCM with high latent heat of fusion can passively cool and maintain the temperature of PV at a proper level. Yet its low thermal conductivity affects the thermal management process. The main purpose of this paper is to summarize the various work done by numerous researchers to improve the thermal management of PV modules using PCMs. Additionally, this paper evaluates the thermal and electrical performance improvements based on different strategies to enhance PCM thermal conductivity. Furthermore, the paper provides background information on PCM categories, materials, and selection criteria, offering researchers insights into PCM and PV integrations. Moreover, the paper discusses the economic aspect of integrating PCM with PV for passive cooling in building applications. The main results show that integrating enhanced PCM, using thermal enhancers, with PV can reduce the PV temperature by 25 K and the electrical efficiency can increase by more than 10 %.