Enhancing the performance of photovoltaic panels by water cooling

Abstract

The objective of the research is to minimize the amount of water and electrical energy needed for cooling of the solar panels, especially in hot arid regions, e.g., desert areas in Egypt. A cooling system has been developed based on water spraying of PV panels. A mathematical model has been used to determine when to start cooling of the PV panels as the temperature of the panels reaches the maximum allowable temperature (MAT). A cooling model has been developed to determine how long it takes to cool down the PV panels to its normal operating temperature, i.e., 35 °C, based on the proposed cooling system. Both models, the heating rate model and the cooling rate model, are validated experimentally. Based on the heating and cooling rate models, it is found that the PV panels yield the highest output energy if cooling of the panels starts when the temperature of the PV panels reaches a maximum allowable temperature (MAT) of 45 °C. The MAT is a compromise temperature between the output energy from the PV panels and the energy needed for cooling.