Study of Temperature Effect on Solar Photovoltaic Panel

The uncontrolled exploitation of non-renewable energy resources like fossil fuels not only depletes the resources but also pollutes the environment through enormous greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Therefore, sustainable, clean, and safe energy like solar energy is in huge demand. One of the major setbacks for this form is the low conversion efficiency of the Photovoltaic (PV) panels. The operating temperature has a great impact on this. As the temperature of the panel increases the efficiency and durability of the panel degrades. To enhance the efficiency, different cooling approaches are suggested. In this study, a passive cooling method using Copper fins attached to the back side of the PV panel is evaluated. The numerical model is created using Abaqus/CAE software using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation with the incorporation of fluid–structure interaction (FSI). Many studies have reported the numerical equations used to predict the operating temperature of a solar panel, which is validated by various experimental data communicated in the literature, and the simulation is carried out with this information. Further, the optimum operating temperature and conversion efficiency of the solar PV panels are estimated based on numerous fin parameters (length, thickness, shape) for a specified atmospheric condition.