Effectiveness of Phase Change Material for Cooling of Photovoltaic Panel for Hot Climate

Abstract

Phase change materials (PCMs) are investigated in this study as an option to reduce the surface temperature of the photovoltaic (PV) cell during sunshine hours to enhance the electrical efficiency of the cells. For this purpose, thermal energy balance model of the PV panel is integrated with PCM enthalpy model. The simulated results of the model have been validated with experimental results from the literature. The results indicate that PCM can be effectively used for limiting the temperature rise of the PV cell, thus increasing the efficiency of the PV cell up to 10%. Peak temperature of the PV cell can be reduced from 86 °C to 57 °C during the hottest summer month. It has observed that maximum benefits can be obtained when PCM melting point is selected in such a way that there is 10–12 °C difference between melting point of PCM and average minimum ambient temperature of the hottest summer month. PCM selected in such way will also require minimum mass. In current study, PCMs with melting points of 40 °C and 44 °C provide the best result compared to the PCMs having melting points of 35 °C and 30 °C with average minimum ambient temperature of 28 °C.