Investigation of the cooling effect of wind on rooftop PV power plants

Abstract

This study investigates the cooling of PV panels installed on the roof of a 5.9 MW power plant in Bursa, Turkey, under varying wind conditions. Meteorological measurements were conducted during the summer period to analyse the cooling effects. When wind speed differences were below 0.5 m/s, the cooling effect on the PV panels ranged between 2-3°C. However, when the wind speed differences approached 1 m/s, the cooling effect increased up to 7°C. At lower wind speeds, winds blowing from behind the panels provided better cooling, whereas side winds offered improved performance as wind speed increased. Due to the roof slope and the minimal gap between the panels and the roof, winds from behind were less effective, as they could not penetrate the back of the PV panels. Side winds, on the other hand, faced no difficulty in flowing over the panel surfaces but lost their cooling effect as they passed along the long rows of panels. These findings suggest that during the design phase of PV power plants, high wind speed locations should be prioritized, and optimal configurations should be implemented to ensure uniform wind access to all PV arrays.