Performance improvement of Solar Photovoltaic Panel Using Different Phase Change Material

Author

Dr. K. Siva Prasad, B. Venkata Tarun, Ch. Tejaswini, Ch. Durga Prasad


Abstract

 A solar photovoltaic (PV) panel turns only a part of the sunlight it receives into electricity. The rest becomes heat, and as the panel gets hotter its electrical efficiency drops by roughly 0.5 % for every degree Celsius. On the day of our baseline test, the surface of an uncooled panel reached 56 °C while the surrounding air was only 34.3 °C, so the panel was working well below its potential.

This project looks at a simple, passive remedy: attaching Phase Change Materials (PCMs) to the back of the panel. We have chosen two organic fatty acids, Lauric Acid and Stearic Acid, because they melt in the temperature range a hot panel reaches, store a large amount of heat while melting are stable, non-toxic and friendly to the environment. 800 g of each PCM is held in aluminium containers, whose good conductivity carries heat from the panel into the PCM.

The report explains the theory, reviews twelve research papers, describes the components and the prototype, and presents the baseline measurements. From the material properties we also calculate how much heat each PCM can absorb and how much extra power can be expected if the panel is cooled. The performance of each PCM will be judged by comparing panel temperature, output voltage, cooling duration and efficiency with an uncooled panel under sunlight. The proposed system is cheap, needs no power or maintenance, and can help solar panels give more energy and last longer.



Keywords

Solar Photovoltaic Panel, Phase Change Material, Lauric Acid, Stearic Acid, Passive Cooling, Electrical Efficiency, Aluminium Container.



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References


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