Effect of cooling on power generated by photovoltaic panels

The paper presents a numerical analysis of the operation of photovoltaic (PV) panels integrated in fixed position on the roofs or facades of the buildings. Knowing that the efficiency of photovoltaic panels is temperature-dependent, and due to fixed PV panel position, the possibility of the improving the conversion is analysed from the point of view of the temperature of the PV cells. The model is simulated using TRNSYS software and the main functioning parameters assessed are the operating temperature of the cells, open circuit voltage, maximum power generated and conversion efficiency. The solution proposed for cooling consists in using water heat exchangers attached to the backside of the photovoltaic panel. The results highlight the direct dependence of the photovoltaic efficiency with the temperature of the panel for different positions in the same geographical location. The energy gain during the cooling interval is about 26.9 Wh/m2 (vertical), 81.9 Wh/m2 (inclined) and 81.7 Wh/m2 (horizontal), which represents an increase of 5.8%, 9.3% and 9.2% respectively, compared to the normal operating conditions. (paper)