Performance enhancement of PV panels using phase change material (PCM): An experimental implementation

In the present study, cooling of a photovoltaic (PV) panel using a phase change material (PCM) of paraffin wax RT-42 attached to a panel back surface is experimentally investigated. Two identical PV panels having a maximum electrical generated power of 40 W are employed to perform the outdoor experiments: a reference PV panel (PVr) and another integrated with PCM (PV-PCM). The current implementation is conducted with different thicknesses of PCM (1, 2, and 3 cm) varying the tilt angle of PV panels at 15 degrees, 20 degrees, 25 degrees, and 30 degrees. The infrared thermal camera is used to record the temperature distribution over the front surface of the PVr and PV-PCM panels. Results indicate that the highest temperature distribution appeared at the upper portion of the PV panels, whereas the lower part of the PV panels shows the lowest temperature distribution. At a tilt angle of 15 degrees, the temperature at the panel's top side is higher than that of the bottom side by 17.1%, 15.7%, and 13.2% for PCM thickness of 1, 2, and, 3 cm, respectively. There is also enhancement in the electrical power output of 15.8% for the PV-PCM panel with a 3 cm PCM thickness over the reference panel (PVr) at a tilt angle of 30 degrees. Relatedly, elevating the tilt angle from 15 degrees to 30 degrees improves the electrical efficiency of PV-PCM with a 3 cm thickness of the PCM by 7.4%. Finally, using PCM with a thickness of 3 cm enhances the electrical efficiency of the PV-PCM panel by 14.4% compared to that for the PVr at a tilt angle of 30 degrees.