Experimental Study on Optimizing Photovoltaic Panel Efficiency: Harnessing Paraffin Wax Phase Change for Temperature Reduction

High operating temperatures adversely affect photovoltaic (PV) efficiency, motivating research into cooling techniques. This study experimentally investigates using phase change materials (PCMs) to passively absorb excess heat from PV panels. Paraffin wax with a 42 °C melting point was selected as the PCM and integrated in a 4-cm-thick layer on the back of a crystalline silicon PV panel. Temperatures were monitored within the PCM layer and PV back surface using thermocouples. A reference PV panel lacking PCM was tested under identical conditions. During peak irradiance, the PCM reduced the PV back temperature by 5–8 °C versus the reference. This cooling boosted electrical efficiency of the PCM–PV panel to 12.5–19.66%, while the reference panel ranged from 11.32 to 18.23%. The substantial efficiency improvements demonstrate the promise of PCM thermal management for mitigating temperature-related losses. This study provides initial experimental evidence that PCM integration represents a viable passive cooling approach for enhancing PV performance in hot climates. Ongoing work is needed to optimize PCM selection and fully assess benefits.