Cool Coating Impacts on Power Efficiency, Energy Performance, and Durability of Solar Modules

Cool-roofing systems with a high solar reflective index offer numerous benefits to buildings, occupants, and solar electric power generation systems. The proposed experimental cool roof-mounted solar project demonstrates how a cooler roof turbocharges solar photovoltaic system by not only boosting power and energy, but also extending the lifespan of solar modules and other rooftop electrical equipment. The project was approached by viewing the energy production of grid-tie solar photovoltaic system, mounted on the ENERGY STAR® certified cool roof. Upon project completion, produced DC-AC voltages, along with generated power, were monitored daily/monthly/yearly from 2015 to 2019 and authenticated by thermal modeling calculations. As result, obtaining an average of 78.54% experimental output efficiency, calculating a cooling load of 0.18 Wm
⁻²
, and decreasing total energy usage by 20% over 25 years proved that cool-roof application is more advantageous than a conventional hot-roof.