Experimental Investigation of PV Panel Performance by Using PCM with Different Fin Geometries

Abstract

During the photovoltaic (PV) conversion process, a significant amount of solar radiation is converted into heat, which increases the cell's temperature and reduces its efficiency. A system consisting of PCM and aluminium fins was developed to minimise power loss due to temperature increments. Using PCM as heat absorbers in this study, heat from photovoltaic panels was transferred more efficiently with aluminium fins. The PV panel temperature is regulated by this method in hot climates as a passive cooling method. To regulate the surface temperature of PV panels, RT28HC was used as PCM. The reference PV panel was compared with a container-integrated PV panel with PCM and flat aluminium fins and a container-integrated PV panel with PCM and perforated aluminium fins to regulate the temperature of the PV cells and improve the efficiency of the panels. In the laboratory, with an initial ambient temperature of 20 °C, an experiment was conducted for 60 minutes. The results of the experiment show that the average surface temperature of the PV panel decreased by 8.32 °C from 49.24 °C to 40.92 °C with flat fins and by 8.55 °C from 49.24 °C to 40.69 °C with perforated fins. The maximum electric power generation by the PV panels increased by 7.43 % compared to the usual PV panels from 1.48 W to 1.59 W with flat fins and by 9.46 % from 1.48 W to 1.62 W with perforated fins as the surface temperature of the PV panels decreased. The surface temperature and generated current, voltage, and power of the uncooled and cooled PV panels are plotted over time in this study.