PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS: A REVIEW OF THE COOLING TECHNIQUES

In this paper, current advances in cooling techniques and temperature control of photovoltaic (PV) panels in general, are analyzed and discussed. Namely, it is well known that a decrease in the panel temperature will lead to an increase in electrical efficiency, so in recent years different cooling techniques have been proposed and tested experimentally. The efficiency drops with the rise in temperature, with a magnitude of approximately 0.5 %/°C. Several cooling techniques have been tried, mostly based on active water and air cooling, as these are the simplest techniques. Other cooling techniques include conductive cooling, phase-change material cooling, etc. Increase in electrical efficiency depends on cooling techniques, type and size of the module, geographical position and the season of the year, and usually corresponds with a rise of 3-5 % in overall efficiency. Finally, a perspective on the other cooling techniques for PV panels will be also elaborated on and discussed in this paper.