Performance Evaluation of a Back Surface Cooling Type PV Panel Based on Energy and Exergy

A photovoltaic (PV) cell is extremely sensitive to shifts in temperature; conversely, a drop in temperature is the primary factor that contributes to an increase in the electrical efficiency and output power of a PV system. To maximize the amount of energy produced by PV panels and decrease their temperature, a photovoltaic (PV) cooling system is frequently employed. However, more irradiance is frequently associated with higher temperatures, which is problematic for photovoltaic (PV) panels because they rely on that irradiance to create power. These extreme temperature rises have a devastating effect on how efficiently photovoltaic (PV) panels convert energy. A solar photovoltaic (PV) system can function more efficiently with an adequate cooling process on its surface. In this paper a passive cooling model for the PV panel has been proposed which cools down the PV panel by using dry grass and water at the back surface. A comparison has been made with a non-cooled panel. Two PV panels are simultaneously tested. Electrical output characteristics of both the PV panels have been recorded and, energy and exergy analysis for the system has been presented to have a more elaborate understanding of the cooling effect on PV panel performance. The cooled panel has an increase in efficiency by 47%. Along with the electrical efficiency, the thermal efficiency has also been considered in this paper for performance evaluation in the form of overall efficiency.