Paraffin Wax and Fatty Acid-Based Passive Temperature Management of PV Modules: An Overview

Currently, crystalline silicon (c-Si) photovoltaics (PV) modules are dominating the PV market, and have the best performance and stability. These PV modules are sensitive to the increasing temperature, and it has been reported that the efficiency of these PV modules goes down by ~ 0.4% for every single degree rise of cell temperature above 25 °C. In that sense, this temperature issue is a major concern, especially in the hot areas of the world. A significant fraction of the solar radiation remains unused in a conventional c-Si PV, which gets converted into heat energy, thus affecting the efficiency. Therefore, it becomes crucial to regulate the module temperature to or near the optimum temperature (around) 25 °C to generate constant power. Several cooling techniques are utilized and are under study; however, the phase change materials (PCMs)-based system to control the PV temperature seems to have higher flexibility. This is due to the long list of available materials to select for the required temperature, better surface covering, and efficiency. Again, among the different PCMs, organic PCMs have a better environmental upshot and are non-corrosive in nature. Paraffin wax and fatty acids are the most used organic PCMs for PV thermal management systems. Therefore, in this chapter key findings of these two organic PCM-based passive PV cooling results are reviewed in the materials prospectives, covering the latest finding and strategies taken and also highlighting future possibilities.