Abstract
The operating temperature is an important factor affecting the performance and life span of the Photovoltaic (PV) panels. The rising temperature can be maintained within certain limit using proper cooling techniques. In the present research a novel system for cooling of PV panels named as Earth Water Heat Exchanger (EWHE) is proposed and modelled in transient analysis simulation tool (TRNSYS v17.0) for the conditions of Pilani, Rajasthan (India).The various parameters which include cell temperature, PV power output and cell efficiency are observed with respect to variation in mass flow rate of fluid. Simulation results of the system without cooling show that the maximum PV panel temperature reached up to 79.31 °C with electrical efficiency dropped to 9% during peak sunshine hour. On the other hand, when PV panels are coupled with EWHE system, the panel temperature drops to 46.29 °C with an efficiency improving to 11% for a mass flow rate of 0.022 kg/s. In the end the cooling potential of EWHE is found to be in direct correlation with mass flow rate. The proposed system is very useful for the arid regions of western India which are blessed with high solar insolation throughout the year.
Highlights
The solar energy is an abundant energy source which can be harnessed by PV system to produce electricity and is a commercially proven technology [1,2]
PV temperature varies between 35.43 °C to 79.31 °C without cooling for 10 hours of system operation. It can be seen from the Fig. 2. that the PV panel temperature drops with the Earth Water Heat Exchanger (EWHE) cooling and it ranges between 30.33 -55.01°C, 29.99-53.82°C, 28.40-44.71 °C and 28.33-46.29 °C for 0.006 kg/s, 0.01 kg/s, 0.022 kg/s and 0.026 kg/s flow rates respectively
Results show that the maximum panel temperature dropped significantly from 79.31 °C to 46.29 °C for mass flow rate of 0.022 kg/s when it is operated with EWHE
Summary
The solar energy is an abundant energy source which can be harnessed by PV system to produce electricity and is a commercially proven technology [1,2]. The increase in the operating temperature of the cell beyond certain limit decreases the efficiency of the cell and decreases the life span due to the thermo-mechanical stress involved [4,5]. It is reported in the literature [6] that drop in efficiency by 0.45% may occur with every degree rise in the cell operating temperature above a certain limit. One of them is Photovoltaic/ Thermal (PV/T) cooling technology in which thermal collectors are attached with PV panels to produce both thermal and electrical energy
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