Thermal management and performance augmentation of photovoltaic module subjected to actual dynamic conditions with passive cooling techniques

The paper analyses the combined effect of fin number (n) and inclination (β) on the overall performance of the PV module in the finned PV-PCM system by numerical simulation. System geometries with no fin to four fins are considered with inclinations varying from 0° to 45° to obtain different configurations of the PV-PCM system. Performance parameters such as mean temperature, PV efficiency, PV power output, mean velocity, and temperature contours are simulated for all the system configurations. The system is subjected to actual dynamic conditions such as variable solar radiation and ambient temperature. The maximum temperature reduction is obtained for the three-finned system with an inclination of 45°. The inclusion of fins is relatively effective for horizontal systems compared to other inclinations, and the highest relative enhancement in efficiency of 5.56% is obtained for horizontal PV-PCM system with 4 fins. Three-finned PV-PCM system with a 45° inclination angle produces the highest instantaneous PV electrical power output of 165.87 W and the lowest peak PV temperature of 50.23 °C, which is the optimum. The peak average velocity of melted PCM is maximum for unfinned PV-PCM system with \(\beta = 45^\circ\) $\beta ={45}^{\circ }$ , indicating the presence of the highest strength of convection current in melted PCM.