Advancing photovoltaic thermal module efficiency through optimized heat sink designs

Solar energy is regarded as a viable alternative to fossil fuels for electricity generation. Nevertheless, photovoltaic panels generate superfluous thermal energy during electricity production, which elevates temperature and diminishes the efficiency of photovoltaic cells. This study aims to enhance the performance of photovoltaic/thermal modules utilizing novel designs of aluminum heat sinks and forced air cooling methods. A numerical analysis is conducted using ANSYS Fluent with the Renormalization Group (RNG) k–ε turbulence model. The impact of integrating five innovative heat sink modules with solar cells and various power input ranges (20–100 W) and Reynolds numbers (4391 – 22322) on the surface cell temperature, performance, energy, and economics are investigated and presented. To evaluate the energy and financial gains, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has been selected as a case study. The results show that the innovative design of the photovoltaic/thermal module (PVT/HS-3) can considerably enhance photovoltaic/thermal system efficiency and economic feasibility compared to other heat sink module integrations. The module design provided the most effective cooling, improving the photovoltaic/thermal by 14.019 % and relatively enhanced efficiency by 70.095 %. Additionally, it reduced the maximum surface temperature of the solar cell by 30 % at an air velocity of 2.5 m/s and a power temperature coefficient of −0.5 %/^oC compared to a standard PVT system without heat sinks. Under Jeddah's climatic conditions, the energy efficiency gain, and monetized gain reached 32,748 kWh/m²year and 3274 $/m²year, respectively, demonstrating the potential of innovative heat sink designs in solar technologies, promoting sustainability and economic efficiency.