A turbulent air‐flow corrugating photovoltaic model to enhance power output

Abstract

AbstractThis paper investigated the influence of the cooling of turbulent blowing air on the photovoltaic (PV) modules using the corrugation technique. The well‐known five‐parameter diode equation side by side with conservation principles were used to study the effect of corrugating lower PV sides to cool PV's and enhance efficiency. As the main restriction of PV systems is low efficiency that is powerfully counting on its operational temperature, therefore, reducing the operating temperature of PV cells is critical for the PV panel to work. To achieve this aim, a mathematical model describing PV temperatures and efficiency using continuity, momentum, and energy side by side with the Shockley diode equation was built. It was found that the corrugating of lower sides of PV's up to 1 mm in a distance of 20 mm considering turbulent flow conditions considerably reduced temperature and consequently enhanced thermal efficiency from 13% to 15%; the eddy viscosity and Reynolds shear stress increased boundary layer thickness and velocities, so increased the coefficient of heat transfer and consequently electrical power output and thermal efficiency.