DEVELOPMENT OF COOLING ATTACHMENT FOR SOLAR

PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS SYSTEM

 CHAPTER 1

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Solar energy is one of the most promising sources of energy and its share in the global

energy sources has steadily increased over the past several years. There has been a

general expansion in solar power generation in Asia as opposed to Europe and the rest of

the world, and ASEAN countries, including the Philippines. Our country has strong

potential in harnessing solar energy, both for consumer use and power production, given

the continued drop in prices and further innovation in the field and is prepared to join the

solar power revolution, mainly due to our geographical location within the two Tropical

Zones.

One of the ways to make use of solar energy is by the use of Solar Photovoltaic (PV)

panels but the use of this is proven to be a less efficient way to produce energy and one

of the reasons that cause this problem is the heating of the solar panels.

Solar PV Panels are made up of Photovoltaic cells that are grouped together. Photovoltaic

cells are made up of semiconductors which allows it to absorb energy from a light source

and converting it to electricity. This basic principle of how Solar PV Panels work shows
that temperature is one of the factors that affects the process. That is why this research

will focus on finding a cooling system for Solar PV panels that can lower the temperature

of the panel to increase its efficiency.

1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Harnessing solar power is one way to decrease dependence on the increasing and

volatile prices of fossil fuels. This can be economically helpful but most importantly be a

great help on our fight to Global Warming and Climate Change. The use of Solar PV panels

is not that efficient because of the heat absorbed by the Photovoltaic cells. According to

Panasonic (2013), the maximum Normal Operating Cell Temperature (NOTC) of their Solar

PV Panels is 44oC and for every degree added to the maximum NOTC results to a -0.29%

inefficiency to the cell. This shows that the main problem of this research is the heating

of the PV panels which contributes to the decrease of the system’s efficiency.

1.3 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The root cause of the PV panel’s low efficiency is due to the temperature dependence of

the solar cells. According to Einsenmenger (2011), the efficiency of the solar cells is

directly proportional to the amount of energy it can produce wherein the amount of

energy is compared to the amount of light the solar cells receive to get the efficiency of

the system. The amount of light can be controlled through using a calibrated light wherein

the current produced at different voltages can be measured. Through obtaining these

measurements, we are given current as a function of voltage. The formula used to

calculate the power produced by a solar cells is:

2 P = IV (1)

where P is the power produced by the solar cell, I is the current and V is the voltage

from the calibrated light source. Power can also be calculated through the following

equation:
 3 P = (FF)ISCVOC (2)

where FF is the filler factor, Isc is the current when the circuit is short and Voc is the

voltage when the circuit is open. The second equation specifies which current and voltage

is to be taken in order to compute for the maximum power produced by the solar cells

since the measurements at this point will be the one used to compute for the efficiency

in the following equation,

(𝐹𝐹)𝐼𝑆𝐶𝑉𝑂𝐶
4 𝜂= (3)
Pm

Given these equations, it has been tested that as the temperature decreases, the Isc

increases while the Voc and the FF decreases as well. The net effect to the solar cells can

be represented in the following linear equations:

However, the solar radiation coefficient is usually zero (Evans, 1981) therefore reducing

the equation to:

Wherein 𝜂 is the solar cell’s efficiency, 𝛽 is the temperature coefficient which is

dependent on the type of material used, T is the temperature. The variable with

subscripts c and ref are values taken or computed from the solar cell and reference

conditions respectively. Through equation number 5, it will be possible for the researches
to compute for the efficiency with varying temperatures since the values of 𝜂𝑟𝑒𝑓 and

𝛽𝑟𝑒𝑓 usually come from the manufacturers of the PV cells.

1.4 OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the study are:

 To study information about Photovoltaic Solar Systems;

 To gain knowledge about the different cooling system designs;

 To design appropriate system for cooling PV panels;

 To create a cooling system that would improve the performance of the PV panels;

 To test the quality and condition of the cooling system

 To increase panel efficiency may be by 8%

 To document the study.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of the study is to develop a cooling attachment for a photovoltaic panel in

the most efficient manner in terms of cost, time, and effort. By doing this, we hope to

increase the efficiency of the production of power as the main cause of power losses in a

photovoltaic panel is the heat generated while absorbing light. Cooling the panel will

significantly increase its efficiency, and that in turn makes the use of solar panels much
more favorable as its efficiency is one of the main reasons photovoltaic panels are not

widely used today.

1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The study covers different designs and applications of cooling systems to be installed to

lower the temperature generated and absorbed by the Photovoltaic panels. The study

will determine a more efficient cooling system for the PV panels. The study will gather

pertinent data about the working conditions of the PV panels that will give difficulties to

its function but could also be an advantage to meet the purpose of the study. The study

will not cover the working conditions of the PV panels and its cooling system beyond the

conditions of the Philippines since the study is not to be conducted abroad.