Cooling Of Allroof Solar Panels By Induced Water Flow

Abstract

Solar panels are one of the most widely used renewable energy technologies worldwide. They are currently being implemented in a vast number of countries spanning a wide spectrum of different environments and climates. Photovoltaic production efficiency is dependent on their operating temperature. At high temperatures, production efficiency, and power output of photovoltaics are reduced. This thesis was focused on investigating the temperature effect phenomenon experienced by solar panels. This study incorporated both active and passive cooling methods; however, the primary focus was active cooling. Computer simulations were used to predict the cooling patterns produced by the proposed cooling method. Solar panels were implemented with and without active cooling technology and the difference in production was recorded. The study showed that the addition of a cooling mechanism to an existing 2-cell solar panel system resulted in a 1% increase in the efficiency of the panel. However, a cost benefit analysis also showed that over a 30 year span the cooling system showed to be less cost efficient that a regular system. The difference in net present value for the identical 2-cell system, with and without cooling, was -$1771.99. From these results, we can conclude that a cooling system is beneficial but should only be pursued if the additional costs can be covered.