Energetic, environmental and economic (3E) analysis of a CSA algorithm optimized floatovoltaic system integrated with heat sink: Modeling with experimental validation

Abstract

The irradiance's nonuniformity and elevated working temperature are the main harmful parameters that influence photovoltaic productivity. Hence, systematic research was conducted to establish an effective freestanding floating photovoltaic (FPV) system using a passive cooling system comprised of a finned heat sink to regulate the operating temperature in conjunction with a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) based in Cuckoo Search algorithm (CSA) to maximize the productivity of the FPV module. In this work, U-shaped fins are integrated into the rear of the (F-FPV) module through experimentally validated work at Port Said, Egypt, in an outdoor condition. Consequently, an energetic, environmental, and economic (3E) comprehensive evaluation has been performed to assist the overall performance of the proposed strategy. The results revealed that the finned F-FPV module's working temperature dropped to 45.27 °C, resulting in a 7.77 % temperature drop compared to the conventional FPV module. It has been concluded that utilizing both finned heat sink and CSA boosts the F-FPV-CSA power productivity by 14.92 %, which shortened the payback period to 10 years with a reduction of 44.5 % when compared to the conventional FPV system. The combination of cooling and CSA MPPT strategies help in reducing levelized cost of electricity by 21.54 % to 0.015 $/kWh.