Increasing photovoltaic panel power through water cooling technique

This paper presents the development of a cooling apparatus using water in a commercial photovoltaic panel in order to analyze the increased efficiency through decreased operating temperature. The system enables the application of reuse water flow, at ambient temperature, on the front surface of PV panel and is composed of an inclined plane support, a perforated aluminum profile and a water gutter. A luminaire was specially developed to simulate the solar radiation over the module under test in a closed room, free from the influence of external climatic conditions, to carry out the repetition of the experiment in controlled situations. The first case study was published at EEEIC2016 conference where the panel was submitted to different rates of water flow, from 1 L/min to 4 L/min. In the test conditions without cooling apparatus, the panel reached about 70°C and produced approximately 63Wh. With the cooling apparatus with water flow rate of 2 L/min, the module reached about 50°C and produced approximately 77Wh. However, it has been observed that this water flow was overestimated. A second case study was carried out in order to perform the threshold between the flow and the energy produced. The best ratio was flow of 0.6 L/min and net energy of 77.41Wh. Gain of 22.69% compared to the panel without the cooling system. The best water flow rate was of 0.6 L/min and net energy of 77.41Wh. Gain of 22.69% compared to the panel without the cooling system.