Performance Enhancement of PV Module with Cooling Effect using Wet Wicks

Abstract

Solar energy is one of the most potential sources of power production among all the renewable energies which is eco-friendly and can be much cheaper too. The energy conversion efficiency of the PV module decreases even more due to an increase in operating cell temperature over a certain limit. One way of improving the efficiency of the system is to maintain a low operating temperature by cooling it down during its operational period. This study compares the effects of cooling on the performance of photovoltaic systems. Experiments are performed on the solar panel inclined at a fixed 23.45° angle with the horizontal to the south without active cooling initially to have a set of reference performance parameters for comparison. The polycrystalline PV Module was tested with different cooling methods including Normal water Spray over the front surface, wet jute, and wet woolen material over the back surface of the panel. The cooling of the panels combined with the soiling effect enhances solar efficiency. The wet woolen material results in the most significant efficiency improvement, followed closely by wet jute and normal water spray.