International Journal of Thermofluids (Nov 2024)
Theoretical parametric study of photovoltaic cooling by water—Energy enhancement and environmental-economic insights
Abstract
Fossil fuel consumption is the primary and most influential contributor to global warming. Since fossil fuels are non-renewable energy sources that will eventually be depleted, decision-makers are encouraging individuals and businesses to invest in renewable energy systems. Among these, photovoltaic (PV) panels offer a promising solution for combating global warming by generating electricity from solar energy. However, their efficiency diminishes as temperatures rise. Water cooling systems have emerged as highly effective in reducing PV panel temperatures and thereby enhancing efficiency. The current study focuses on theoretical parametric analysis of water-cooled PV panels, specifically examining the intervals of maximum and minimum relative efficiency enhancements suitable for residential applications. It provides energetic, economic, and environmental insights based on mathematical equations, providing theoretical parametric analysis based on relative efficiency enhancement values of water-cooling methods retrieved from the literature due to the lack of parametric studies present on cooling PV panels. Moreover, the scaled parametric analysis conducted is in terms of the PV area, prompting the user to enter the desired PV area to get insights on the possible system to be constructed. Interval and parametric studies were conducted at the level of water cooling, providing a tool for readers to estimate potential improvements in energy production, savings, and CO2 reduction based on PV applications with respect to the consumption ratio R, which is the amount of energy being consumed by the house from the PV panels. Results indicate that at minimum efficiency enhancement levels, the photovoltaic-thermal water (PVT-W) system demonstrated the highest values for energy enhancement, savings, and CO2 reduction, averaging 634.57R kWh, $272.86R, and 368.05R kg, respectively. Conversely, at maximum efficiency enhancement levels, the flowing water on the PV surface (PV-WS) system exhibited the highest values with averages of 678.16R kWh, $291.61R, and 393.33R kg, respectively. Furthermore, a linear relationship was observed among energy production, savings, and CO2 reduction concerning relative efficiency enhancement.
