Experimental Evaluation of a Solar Low-Concentration Photovoltaic/Thermal System Combined with a Phase-Change Material Cooling Technique
Source abstract
Abstract
The high operating temperatures of photovoltaic (PV) panels negatively affect both electrical efficiency and material degradation rate. Combining both a water-cooling-based photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system and a phase-change material (PCM) with/without low concentration (LC) represents a promising solution for boosting the overall energy conversion efficiency of the PV system. This approach needs to be evaluated in harsh weather where the PCM should have a high melting temperature. Therefore, this study experimentally investigates the performance of three PV cooling systems, namely PV-PCM, PV/T-PCM, and LCPV/T-PCM, compared to a reference PV without cooling, under the weather conditions of Riyadh. The results show that the PV/T-PCM attained the highest daily average electrical and overall efficiencies of 14.24% (5% increase) and 42.7%, respectively, compared to 13.56% electrical efficiency of the reference panel. The electrical efficiency of the PV-PCM was 13.64% due to inefficient natural cooling in the afternoon. The LCPV/T-PCM recorded the best performance during the two hours around noon, with an average increase in electrical power and efficiency of 11.06% and a maximum overall efficiency of 70%. Finally, the LCPV/T-PCM system can be only effectively used to support the higher demand for electricity and thermal energy around noon; otherwise, a new design configuration with low concentration is needed to establish a higher electrical efficiency in most hours of sunlight.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic Systems · Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies · Photovoltaic System Optimization Techniques
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21544, Egypt
K.A.CARE Energy Research and Innovation Center, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Funding
Research & Innovation, “Ministry of Education”
References (36)
Show source-provided references
1. Projecting Saudi sectoral electricity demand in 2030 using a computable general equilibrium model10.1016/j.esr.2021.100787 ↗
2. (2022, May 06). Energy & Sustainability, Available online: https://www.vision2030.gov.sa/thekingdom/explore/energy/.
3. Energy, G. (2021, September 07). Thermal Power will Lead Saudi Arabia Electricity Till 2030 Despite Renewables Growth. Available online: https://www.power-technology.com/comment/thermal-power-saudi-arabia/.
4. Future of solar energy in Saudi Arabia
5. The effect of temperature on the power drop in crystalline silicon solar cells10.1016/S0960-1481(02)00015-0 ↗
6. Advancements in hybrid photovoltaic systems for enhanced solar cells performance10.1016/j.rser.2014.08.069 ↗
7. Using phase change materials in photovoltaic systems for thermal regulation and electrical efficiency improvement: A review and outlook10.1016/j.rser.2014.12.003 ↗
8. Increasing the efficiency of PV panel with the use of PCM10.1016/j.renene.2016.06.011 ↗
9. Experimental investigation on the abasement of operating temperature in solar photovoltaic panel using PCM and aluminium10.1016/j.solener.2019.05.067 ↗
10. Experimental analysis and increasing the energy efficiency of PV cell with nano-PCM (calcium carbonate, silicon carbide, copper)10.1016/j.matpr.2020.06.430 ↗
11. Improving the thermal regulation and efficiency enhancement of PCM-Integrated PV modules using nano particles10.1016/j.enconman.2018.04.035 ↗
12. Thermal management of photovoltaic solar cells using polyethylene glycol 1000 (PEG1000) as a phase change material10.1016/j.tsep.2018.01.012 ↗
13. Numerical and experimental study on temperature control of solar panels with form-stable paraffin/expanded graphite composite PCM10.1016/j.enconman.2017.07.046 ↗
14. Phase change material based cooling of photovoltaic panel: A simplified numerical model for the optimization of the phase change material layer and general economic evaluation10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.04.057 ↗
15. Performance enhancement of a photovoltaic module by passive cooling using phase change material in a finned container heat sink10.1016/j.solener.2019.11.053 ↗
16. Performance enhancement of a building-integrated photovoltaic module using phase change material10.1016/j.energy.2017.10.090 ↗
17. Optimization of solar photovoltaic system integrated with phase change material10.1016/j.solener.2018.01.002 ↗
18. Experimental investigation on performance comparison of PV/T-PCM system and PV/T system10.1016/j.renene.2017.11.094 ↗
19. Novel enhanced conduction model for predicting performance of a PV panel cooled by PCM10.1016/j.enconman.2019.112456 ↗
20. Experimental performance evaluation and modeling of jet impingement cooling for thermal management of photovoltaics10.1016/j.solener.2016.06.015 ↗
21. An active cooling system for photovoltaic modules10.1016/j.apenergy.2011.01.017 ↗
22. Low Concentrating Photovoltaics (LCPV) for buildings and their performance analyses10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115839 ↗
23. Augmenting the distillate water flux of sweeping gas membrane distillation using turbulators: A numerical investigation10.1016/j.csite.2021.101180 ↗
24. Solar, M. (2022, February 05). Maysun Solar 120W MS120M-36. Available online: https://www.maysunsolar.com/all-products/.
25. Towards an optimal performance of adsorption chillers: Reallocation of adsorption/desorption cycle times10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2013.03.076 ↗
26. EURONET (2022, February 11). EURONET PWM Solar Controller. Available online: https://www.euronetdxb.com/controllers-1.
27. (2022, February 20). OMB DAQ-56. Available online: https://assets.omega.com/manuals/M3174.pdf.
28. Besantek (2022, January 25). BST-TP01 Thermocouples. Available online: https://www.testequipmentdepot.com/besantek/pdfs/bsttp_datasheet.pdf.
29. Sensor, H.T. (2022, February 16). Hukseflux Pyranometer. Available online: https://www.hukseflux.com/uploads/inline/LP02_manual_v2008_DISCONTINUED.pdf.
30. FLUKE87 (2022, March 02). Multimeter Datasheet. Available online: https://docs.rs-online.com/11a2/0900766b815556a4.pdf.
31. (2022, March 14). 200A, P. PV Analyzer PROVA-200A Datasheet. Available online: https://www.prova.com.tw/img/download/200A-Data%20Sheet-2015.pdf.
32. Bed geometrical specifications effects on the performance of silica/water adsorption chillers10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2012.08.017 ↗
33. Winston, R., Miñano, J.C., and Benitez, P.G. (2005). Nonimaging Optics, Elsevier.10.1016/B978-012759751-5/50004-X ↗
34. Experimental evaluation of a hybrid photovoltaic and thermal solar energy collector with integrated phase change material (PVT-PCM) in comparison with a traditional photovoltaic (PV) module10.1016/j.renene.2021.03.022 ↗
35. Comparative experiment study on photovoltaic and thermal solar system under natural circulation of water10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2011.06.021 ↗
36. Holman, J.P. (2011). Experimental Methods for Engineers, McGraw-Hill. [8th ed.].