Photovoltaic backside cooling using the space inside a conventional frame (IPCOSY)

Abstract

Inefficiencies present in solar cells result in most of the absorbed energy being converted into heat, causing an increase in cell temperature, which leads to a further reduction in efficiency. Various cooling technologies can be found in the literature; however, these all come with their own challenges. In this research, we have designed a Photovoltaic (PV) panel that incorporates backside water cooling by creating a water chamber in the empty space inside the Aluminium frame. This panel was termed IPCoSy (Innovative Photovoltaic Cooling System). It was tested against a conventional cooling system that allowed water to drain when the cooling is switched off and a non-cooled control panel, and the results show that, even without any flow, a daily energy gain of about 3% is possible. When a controlled flow was introduced, gains of up to 10% were achieved. These gains can be further increased when IPCoSy is installed in ideal scenarios such as reverse osmosis plants, floating PV installations, or areas requiring water heating. Therefore, this research presents a new photovoltaic panel incorporating a water chamber designed for hot climate conditions.