Techno-economic perspectives of the temperature management of photovoltaic (PV) power plants: A case-study in Iran

Abstract

The study aimed at revealing the techno-economic analyses of the temperature management of photovoltaic (PV) modules. For this aim, an existing PV power plant (PP) located in Zanjan, north-west of Iran was analyzed experimentally. Two different cooling scenarios (cases A and B with 3 and 6 low-energy fans per module) were considered. The net energy balance showed that more net electrical energy is produced in case A. The net specific energy (kWh per kWp) could be increased up to 4.4% and 4.1% in July, respectively for cases A and B. The selected cooling system (i.e. case A) was analyzed economically according to three different possible scenarios: considering different feed-in tariff (FiT) rates, change in PV module degradation rates, and increasing the size of a PV PP vs applying the thermal management system. Results revealed that a thermal management system would be economically justifiable only at high FiT rates. Finally, considering the reduction in the degradation rate of PV modules is necessary for economic analyses due to the possible lowering in the pay-back period as up to three years seen in the present study.