Performance enhancement of solar photovoltaic system using different cooling techniques

Photovoltaic panel material and its operational temperature are the key factors which significantly affects the efficiency (electrical) of photovoltaic (PV) panel. Electricity generation drops with the rise in temperature of photovoltaic cell, therefore constant cooling is needed to enhance the performance. This article presents the experimental study of Photovoltaic device under different environmental circumstances with an aim to augment the performance of Photovoltaic panel. Photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system (water based), Convective PV panel, and PV/T system using phase change material (PCM) are the three different system considered in the current study. In PV/T (water based), water is stored on a container which is embedded behind the PV panel. RT-30 known to be as Paraffin wax was used as phase change material in PV/T-PCM (water based). Effect of different cooling techniques on electrical efficiency has been investigated. In the month of January at Malviya Nagar Jaipur the electrical efficiency for PV/T PCM was observed to be 7.95% higher than the electrical efficiency of PV/T conventional panel. Whereas, in the month of June at Dwarahat Uttarakhand, the Electrical efficiency for PV/T PCM was found to be 10.2% higher than the electrical efficiency of PV/T conventional panel. It is concluded from the experimental work that the photovoltaic/thermal technology (PV/T) could be a considerable way out to deliver higher electrically and thermally efficient systems. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.