An experimental evaluation on revamping the productivity of solar PV panel using wind tunnel as an optimizer

Abstract At high working temperatures, the performance of the solar photovoltaic (PV) cells will be affected. With the increase in temperature of the PV cells, the conversion of solar radiation into electrical output will be decreased. The operating temperature of the PV cells is one of the prime factors for determining its electrical conversion efficiency. In order to get the maximum electrical output from the solar PV cells, the temperature should be maintained properly. In this experimental study, the temperature of the solar PV cells was maintained by cooling both sides of the PV panel simultaneously. The front surface of the PV panel is sprayed with a thin film of pot water and the rear side is attached with a fabricated duct that was connected into a wind tunnel blower. The mass flow rate of the moist air from the wind tunnel to the rear side of the PV is ranged between 0.1m/s to 0.5m/s. The performance characteristics of both the commercially available PV panel and the experimental PV panel (PVT Clay pipe panel) were compared. The results show that the PVT clay pipe panel has an electrical efficiency of about 11.72%, whereas the commercially available PV panel has only 9.77%. Also, the overall efficiency of the experimental PVT panel is 65.55% respectively.