Open AccessPerformance Evaluation on PV Panels with Cooling Optimization utilizing Phase Changing Materials
Author(s) -
Fazri,
Teuku Azuar Rizal,
Muhammad Amin,
Hamdani Hamdani
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
iop conference series. materials science and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1757-899X
pISSN - 1757-8981
DOI - 10.1088/1757-899x/536/1/012062
Subject(s) - phase change material , environmental science , passive cooling , materials science , solar gain , nuclear engineering , electricity , photovoltaic system , solar energy , automotive engineering , heat transfer , engineering , electrical engineering , phase change , mechanics , engineering physics , physics
The performance of solar panels is very dependent on the absorption of solar radiation. Some of the absorbed energy is converted into electricity, while the rest transformed into heat. However, PV-panels may experience intense heat that causes heat radiation in PV-panels increases. This radiation on the PV panel has a negative impact on the output of electrical energy produced and has the potential to reduce the performance of the solar panel. Therefore, it is necessary to design a PV-Panel cooling system to maintain the temperature of the panel so as not to exceed its effective working temperature. The cooling media which is currently claimed to be relatively more effective than water or air coolers is a cooling medium based on Phase Change Material (PCM). PCM can absorb, store and release energy in the form of latent heat. The purpose of this study is to maintain the PV-panel temperature so as not to exceed the effective working temperature using PCM as a cooling medium. Currently, three PV-panels underwent a performance test. Two of them equipped with PCM-tallow based cooling systems, and PCM-paraffin, while the other one using no PCM and serves as a benchmark for the whole PV-panel cooling performance test result. Tests are carried out from 08:00 to 18:00 local time in bright air conditions. The variables used include the temperature distribution of the top of the panel, the middle panel, and the bottom panel. The results showed that the use of PCM-tallow and PCM-paraffin could maintain the temperature of solar panels below 50 °C, relatively better than the PV-panels that use air as a cooler.