Experimental study of solar PV/T panel to increase the energy conversion efficiency by air cooling

Abstract

An increase in the operating temperature of photovoltaic (PV) panels caused by high levels of solar irradiation can affect the efficiency and lifespan of PV panels. In this study experimental analysis to investigate the reduction in the operating temperature of PV panels with an air-cooling system. The proposed experimental setup was designed and attached to the back of the PV panel. In this paper, the experimental study of solar PV penal with and without bottom air cooling system to reduce the operating temperature of photovoltaic panel is presented. The experimental investigation of solar PV panel was conducted with different mass flow rate of air. The influence of mass flow rate of air on the heat transfer from a PV panel and the circulating ambient air was investigated. The results showed a substantial decrease in the operating temperature of the PV panel and an increase in its electrical performance. The average PV penal temperature is reduced to 9 °C. The mass flow rate of air was 0.08 kg/sec, average maximum bottom surface temperatures with and without air cooling are 45.60 0C and 50.24 0C.As a consequence of decreasing its temperature, there is increased in the electrical energy conversion efficiency of the PV penal from 7 to 12.6%. Therefore, the use of air cooling system could provide a potential solution to prevent PV panels from overheating.