COMPUTATIONAL EXAMINATION OF PV SOLAR PANEL COOLING USING FINNED HEAT PIPE TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

There are several solar energy methods, each with a unique application method for producing 
electricity. Due to their comparatively high prices and poor efficiency, photovoltaic (PV) modules 
have been widely used in these technologies. As the operational temperature rises, PV panel 
efficiency falls. This is caused by heat absorption from the opposite half of the spectrum, reflection 
from the top surface, and heat absorption by components other than the cell. The cell temperature 
may sometimes rise to 700C, which reduces the PV module's output power by up to 0.65%/K and 
efficiency to 0.5%/K above the working temperature. Cooling is thus crucial, and a 200C drop will 
result in a 10% boost in efficiency. In this project, a finned heat pipe has been used to cool the 
panel in an effort to lower its working temperature. The fins and solar panel with finned heat pipe 
assembly were designed and modeled using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). A maximum 
drop of 20K was shown by the CFD study