Energy and Cost Saving of a Photovoltaic-Phase Change Materials (PV-PCM) System through Temperature Regulation and Performance Enhancement of Photovoltaics

Authors

Ahmad Hasan, College of Engineering, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 15551, Unite Arab Emirates (UAE)Follow
Sarah McCormack, Technological University DublinFollow
Ming Jun Huang, Centre for Sustainable Technologies, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey BT370QB, UK;Follow

Document Type

Article

Rights

Available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International Licence

Publication Details

Energies 2014, 7, 1318-1331; [open access publication]

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/energies

Abstract

The current research seeks to maintain high photovoltaic (PV) efficiency and increased operating PV life by maintaining them at a lower temperature. Solid-liquid phase change materials (PCM) are integrated into PV panels to absorb excess heat by latent heat absorption mechanism and regulate PV temperature. Electrical and thermal energy efficiency analysis of PV-PCM systems is conducted to evaluate their effectiveness in two different climates. Finally costs incurred due to inclusion of PCM into PV system and the resulting benefits are discussed in this paper. The results show that such systems are financially viable in higher temperature and higher solar radiation environment.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.3390/en7031318

Recommended Citation

Hasan, A., McCormack, S. J., Huang, M. j. Norton, B. (2014) Energy and Cost Saving of a Photovoltaic-Phase Change Materials (PV-PCM) System through Temperature Regulation and Performance Enhancement of Photovoltaics. Energies 2014, 7, 1318-1331. DOI: 10.3390/en7031318