Assessing the Impact of Water Cooling on PV Modules Efficiency

Abstract

The article presents the results of research on the efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) modules cooled with water. The aim of the experiment was to improve the working conditions of solar modules. A temperature decrease was obtained for the PV module by pouring cool tap water onto the upper surface of the modules, either in imitation of rain or as a water film. The power of the cooled and non-cooled devices were then compared. The temperature of the cooled modules dropped to almost 25 °C, whilst the temperature of the non-cooled module was 45 °C. The best results were achieved by cooling modules with a water film, since there were no water splashes, and the continuous cooling of the surface leads to a 20% increase in power. During the test, the non-cooled module attained a maximum power of 105.3 W/m2, compared to 125.5 W/m2 for its cooled counterpart. Cooling the module, therefore, resulted in a power increase of 20.2 W/m2. The results of the work may be of particular interest for small installations, especially because it cleans the modules while providing an increase in power.

Design and Simulation of a Cooling System for FTO/I-SnO2/CdS/CdTe/Cu2O Solar Cells

“…Choosing the right cooling method can improve electrical efficiency and reduce cell degradation over time, thus maximizing the lifespan of solar cells. The most important cooling methods are active/inactive heat pipe [9][10][11], natural/forced air flow [12][13][14], forced water flow [15][16][17][18], concentrator photovoltaics-thermal, photovoltaic-thermal [19], phase change material [20][21][22][23], immersion in water [24], disable heatsink, microchannel (active heatsink) [25][26][27], transparent coating (photon crystal cooling) [28], and thermoelectric module [29]. Our aim in this article is to investigate two of the most important factors affecting the efficiency of cadmium telluride solar cells, which have not been studied in previous works and have not been mentioned in most studies.…”

Assessment Cooling of Photovoltaic Modules Using Underground Water

“…Lubon. (Luboń, et al, 2020) studied water cooling of solar panels to assess how the system has improved. They used tap water that was poured onto the surface of the photovoltaic panel to form a water flow.…”

Fundamental study on the impacts of water-cooling and accumulated dust on photovoltaic module performance

“…As the panel's operating temperature increases, the open-circuit voltage of the PV cells drops; therefore, the power generated and its efficiency will decrease significantly [5]. The water-cooling method is one of the most helpful techniques that is used to dissipate the heat deposited into the PV modules [6]− [12]. Cooling devices were applied to the PV module to reduce its temperature.…”