IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v165y2021ip1p321-333.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Experimental investigation of the performance of a sun tracking photovoltaic panel with Phase Change Material

Author

Listed:
  • Adibpour, S.
  • Raisi, A.
  • Ghasemi, B.
  • Sajadi, A.R.
  • Rosengarten, G.

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) power generation is one of the most rapidly growing energy sources, which is affected by the amount of solar radiation and PV temperature. The efficiency of PV panels decreases as their temperature increases. Phase Change Materials (PCMs) can absorb considerable amount of heat when they are used at the back of PV panel. In this experimental work, PCM is used to cool tracking PV panels to increase their power output. The melting dynamics of PCM is very different during tracking compared to previous research on fixed panels. Experiments were conducted under outdoor climate conditions in Melbourne, Australia. The PCM temperature distribution is measured during melting and solidification. Results show that using PCM for tracking PV panel reduces the temperature of the PV panel, thus increasing the efficiency. The efficiency of PV panels with PCM is on average 4.6% higher than that without PCM, with the maximum efficiency increase being 6.8%. Using PCM for the tracking PV panel decreases the temperature of PV panel by, on average for the day, 9.1 °C and the maximum temperature difference is 16.3 °C. This study has applications for tracking panels used in hot environments where summer temperature can significantly affect PV performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Adibpour, S. & Raisi, A. & Ghasemi, B. & Sajadi, A.R. & Rosengarten, G., 2021. "Experimental investigation of the performance of a sun tracking photovoltaic panel with Phase Change Material," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 165(P1), pages 321-333.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:165:y:2021:i:p1:p:321-333
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2020.11.022
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148120317638
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2020.11.022?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stropnik, Rok & Stritih, Uroš, 2016. "Increasing the efficiency of PV panel with the use of PCM," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 671-679.
    2. Ciulla, Giuseppina & Lo Brano, Valerio & Di Dio, Vincenzo & Cipriani, Giovanni, 2014. "A comparison of different one-diode models for the representation of I–V characteristic of a PV cell," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 684-696.
    3. Karthick, A. & Murugavel, K. Kalidasa & Ramanan, P., 2018. "Performance enhancement of a building-integrated photovoltaic module using phase change material," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 803-812.
    4. Smith, Christopher J. & Forster, Piers M. & Crook, Rolf, 2014. "Global analysis of photovoltaic energy output enhanced by phase change material cooling," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 21-28.
    5. Danandeh, M.A. & Mousavi G., S.M., 2018. "Comparative and comprehensive review of maximum power point tracking methods for PV cells," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 2743-2767.
    6. Kazemian, Arash & Salari, Ali & Hakkaki-Fard, Ali & Ma, Tao, 2019. "Numerical investigation and parametric analysis of a photovoltaic thermal system integrated with phase change material," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 734-746.
    7. Li, Zhenpeng & Ma, Tao & Zhao, Jiaxin & Song, Aotian & Cheng, Yuanda, 2019. "Experimental study and performance analysis on solar photovoltaic panel integrated with phase change material," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 471-486.
    8. Eldin, S.A. Sharaf & Abd-Elhady, M.S. & Kandil, H.A., 2016. "Feasibility of solar tracking systems for PV panels in hot and cold regions," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 228-233.
    9. Yilmaz, Unal & Kircay, Ali & Borekci, Selim, 2018. "PV system fuzzy logic MPPT method and PI control as a charge controller," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 994-1001.
    10. Rezvanpour, Mohammad & Borooghani, Danial & Torabi, Farschad & Pazoki, Maryam, 2020. "Using CaCl2·6H2O as a phase change material for thermo-regulation and enhancing photovoltaic panels’ conversion efficiency: Experimental study and TRNSYS validation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 1907-1921.
    11. Waqas, Adeel & Ji, Jie & Xu, Lijie & Ali, Majid & Zeashan, & Alvi, Jahanzeb, 2018. "Thermal and electrical management of photovoltaic panels using phase change materials – A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 254-271.
    12. Ma, Tao & Zhao, Jiaxin & Li, Zhenpeng, 2018. "Mathematical modelling and sensitivity analysis of solar photovoltaic panel integrated with phase change material," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 1147-1158.
    13. Zhao, Jiaxin & Ma, Tao & Li, Zhenpeng & Song, Aotian, 2019. "Year-round performance analysis of a photovoltaic panel coupled with phase change material," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 245(C), pages 51-64.
    14. Gaur, Ankita & Ménézo, Christophe & Giroux--Julien, Stéphanie, 2017. "Numerical studies on thermal and electrical performance of a fully wetted absorber PVT collector with PCM as a storage medium," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 168-187.
    15. Ma, Tao & Yang, Hongxing & Zhang, Yinping & Lu, Lin & Wang, Xin, 2015. "Using phase change materials in photovoltaic systems for thermal regulation and electrical efficiency improvement: A review and outlook," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 1273-1284.
    16. Rustemli, Sabir & Dincer, Furkan & Unal, Emin & Karaaslan, Muharrem & Sabah, Cumali, 2013. "The analysis on sun tracking and cooling systems for photovoltaic panels," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 598-603.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sharma, Manoj Kumar & Bhattacharya, Jishnu, 2021. "Deciding between concentrated and non-concentrated photovoltaic systems via direct comparison of experiment with opto-thermal computation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 1084-1096.
    2. Abdelhakim Hassabou & Rima J. Isaifan, 2022. "Simulation of Phase Change Material Absorbers for Passive Cooling of Solar Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-17, December.
    3. Zbigniew Brodziński & Katarzyna Brodzińska & Mikołaj Szadziun, 2021. "Photovoltaic Farms—Economic Efficiency of Investments in North-East Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-17, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Savvakis, Nikolaos & Tsoutsos, Theocharis, 2021. "Theoretical design and experimental evaluation of a PV+PCM system in the mediterranean climate," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    2. Zhao, Jiaxin & Ma, Tao & Li, Zhenpeng & Song, Aotian, 2019. "Year-round performance analysis of a photovoltaic panel coupled with phase change material," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 245(C), pages 51-64.
    3. Tariq, Rasikh & Xamán, J. & Bassam, A. & Ricalde, Luis J. & Soberanis, M.A. Escalante, 2020. "Multidimensional assessment of a photovoltaic air collector integrated phase changing material considering Mexican climatic conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    4. Karthikeyan Velmurugan & Rajvikram Madurai Elavarasan & Pham Van De & Vaithinathan Karthikeyan & Tulja Bhavani Korukonda & Joshuva Arockia Dhanraj & Kanchanok Emsaeng & Md. Shahariar Chowdhury & Kuaan, 2022. "A Review of Heat Batteries Based PV Module Cooling—Case Studies on Performance Enhancement of Large-Scale Solar PV System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-65, February.
    5. Li, Meng & Ma, Tao & Liu, Jiaying & Li, Huanhuan & Xu, Yaling & Gu, Wenbo & Shen, Lu, 2019. "Numerical and experimental investigation of precast concrete facade integrated with solar photovoltaic panels," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 253(C), pages 1-1.
    6. Li, Zhenpeng & Ma, Tao & Zhao, Jiaxin & Song, Aotian & Cheng, Yuanda, 2019. "Experimental study and performance analysis on solar photovoltaic panel integrated with phase change material," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 471-486.
    7. Ma, Tao & Li, Meng & Kazemian, Arash, 2020. "Photovoltaic thermal module and solar thermal collector connected in series to produce electricity and high-grade heat simultaneously," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    8. Muhammad Aftab Rafiq & Liguo Zhang & Chih-Chun Kung, 2022. "A Techno-Economic Analysis of Solar Energy Developmental Under Competing Technologies: A Case Study in Jiangxi, China," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, June.
    9. Fu, Zaiguo & Liang, Xiaotian & Li, Yang & Li, Lingtong & Zhu, Qunzhi, 2021. "Performance improvement of a PVT system using a multilayer structural heat exchanger with PCMs," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 308-317.
    10. Yu, Qinghua & Chen, Xi & Yang, Hongxing, 2021. "Research progress on utilization of phase change materials in photovoltaic/thermal systems: A critical review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    11. Karami, Babak & Azimi, Neda & Ahmadi, Shahin, 2021. "Increasing the electrical efficiency and thermal management of a photovoltaic module using expanded graphite (EG)/paraffin-beef tallow-coconut oil composite as phase change material," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 25-49.
    12. Kazemian, Arash & Khatibi, Meysam & Reza Maadi, Seyed & Ma, Tao, 2021. "Performance optimization of a nanofluid-based photovoltaic thermal system integrated with nano-enhanced phase change material," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 295(C).
    13. Rajvikram Madurai Elavarasan & Karthikeyan Velmurugan & Umashankar Subramaniam & A Rakesh Kumar & Dhafer Almakhles, 2020. "Experimental Investigations Conducted for the Characteristic Study of OM29 Phase Change Material and Its Incorporation in Photovoltaic Panel," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-18, February.
    14. Liang, Ruobing & Pan, Qiangguang & Wang, Peng & Zhang, Jili, 2018. "Experiment research of solar PV/T cogeneration system on the building façade driven by a refrigerant pump," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 744-752.
    15. Maleki, Yaser & Pourfayaz, Fathollah & Mehrpooya, Mehdi, 2022. "Experimental study of a novel hybrid photovoltaic/thermal and thermoelectric generators system with dual phase change materials," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 201(P2), pages 202-215.
    16. Hamed, Tareq Abu & Alshare, Aiman & El-Khalil, Hossam, 2019. "Passive cooling of building-integrated photovolatics in desert conditions: Experiment and modeling," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 131-138.
    17. Kumar, Laveet & Hasanuzzaman, M. & Rahim, N.A. & Islam, M.M., 2021. "Modeling, simulation and outdoor experimental performance analysis of a solar-assisted process heating system for industrial process heat," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 656-673.
    18. Islam, M.M. & Hasanuzzaman, M. & Rahim, N.A. & Pandey, A.K. & Rawa, M. & Kumar, L., 2021. "Real time experimental performance investigation of a NePCM based photovoltaic thermal system: An energetic and exergetic approach," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 71-87.
    19. Shamberger, Patrick J. & Bruno, Nickolaus M., 2020. "Review of metallic phase change materials for high heat flux transient thermal management applications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    20. Yıldız, Çağatay & Arıcı, Müslüm & Nižetić, Sandro & Shahsavar, Amin, 2020. "Numerical investigation of natural convection behavior of molten PCM in an enclosure having rectangular and tree-like branching fins," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:165:y:2021:i:p1:p:321-333. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.