Photovoltaic module efficiency enhancement system by novel cooling techniques: Effect of phase change material and fins

The efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) cells is directly influenced by the temperature of a photovoltaic panel. This increase, in turn, promotes cell degradation and ultimately reduces the life span of the panel. The heat accumulation in the panels has a negative impact on the power output of the PV module. In the present study, a novel experimental setup is designed to directly compare two passive heat transfer methods: phase change materials (PCM) and rectangular fins attached to the back of the photovoltaic panels. The experiments are performed under real conditions to measure the temperature drop at the surface of the PV module, and efficiency is measured in terms of the percentage increase in the output power of the PV module. The obtained results show a reduction in surface temperature by 11–15 % for the PCM-modified panel and 7–13 % for the rectangular fins-modified panel during peak solar hours. This corresponds to an average efficiency enhancement of 2.1 % and 1.7 % in panels with PCM and fins, respectively. Moreover, in terms of efficiency enhancement, the PV module's output power increases by 16 W and 10 W for PCM and rectangular fin techniques, respectively.