The efficient strategy of operating the active cooling systems incorporated with photovoltaic panels for the three climatic regions: A case study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Photovoltaic stations in Algeria are considered an effective solution to overcome the problem of its lack of electrical power and achieve the goals of sustainable development. The weather in Algeria is continental, it has three main climate zones from north to south, and the climate in Algeria is desert, which causes an increase in the temperature of photovoltaic modules and thus a decrease in their production of electrical power. Then the active cooling systems that use water as a cooling medium represent a good option to reduce the PV module temperature and thus increase electrical power generation rates. Due to the change in weather in Algeria from north to south and during the four seasons, in some periods, the operation of cooling systems is ineffective and leads to a decrease in the net output electrical power of photovoltaic stations. Therefore, this manuscript aims to develop an advanced strategy for operating active cooling systems incorporated with PV stations to achieve the highest net electrical power output from PV stations in Algeria. To achieve this goal, the theoretical study was conducted on three different regions in Algeria that express its continental climate, namely, Algiers (36°46′ N, 3°03′ E), northern Algeria, and Djelfa (34°40′ N 3°15′ E) in central Algeria and Ghardaïa (32°29′ N 3°40′ E) in southern Algeria, to get the optimal cooling strategies that achieve the highest net electrical power produced by PV stations. The simulation results presented that the average improvement in the electrical power generated from the PV panels incorporated with active cooling systems reached 15.1%, 17.8%, and 19.7% under the climate conditions of Algiers, Djelfa, and Ghardaïa, respectively. The optimal operating strategies of active cooling systems integrated with PV stations in Algeria increase the average net output electrical power of the PV stations by a rate reached 7.65%, 7.13%, and 4.91% for Algiers, Djelfa, and Ghardaïa, respectively.