EnergoEnviroEconomic analysis of photovoltaic module with multiple passive thermal management techniques

Arunachala U Chandavar, Manoj T K, Varun K

Abstract


Solar energy is highly appreciated among different renewable energy sources due to its limitless potential and affordable energy conversion technologies. Conventionally, solar energy has multiple thermal applications, but now with the onset of photovoltaics (PV), there is massive momentum for solar electricity generation. However, PV module faces a major challenge of efficiency decrement with an increased working temperature. Hence the present experimental study is undertaken to devise a passive thermal management solution for the PV modules. Out of two PV modules, one is the reference (PV-REF), and the other is subjected to different cooling, viz. Natural circulation loop (PV-NCL), burlap (PV-BUR), and front cooling (PV-FC). In PV-NCL unit, a duct at the rear surface acts as the heater, while the finned tube is the cooler. PV-BUR cooling is employed by attaching burlap fabric to the module's rear surface, where water is trickling. In case of PV-FC, a water pipe with tiny holes is placed at the top of the front surface. The experimentation shows that the temperature reduction (compared to PV-REF) in PV-NCL, PV-BUR, and PV-FC modules are 3.2?, 11.6?, and 24.6? respectively, which yields a power increment of 8.2%, 16.2%, and 18.7%. On the enviro-economic front, the payback period is 2.9, 11.7, 2.7, and 2.1 years, and the corresponding values of CO2 mitigation are 0.69, 0.73, 0.80, and 0.82 tons respectively. Thus, PV-BUR acts as a prospective competitor for PV-FC, and on the other hand, PV-NCL requires some design modifications to achieve better results.


Keywords


PV with NCL; gravity assisted flow; front cooling; enviro-economic analysis; payback period

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DOI (PDF): https://doi.org/10.20508/ijrer.v13i2.13691.g8744

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