experimental study on a novel passive method to improve performance of photovoltaic systems using encapsulated phase change materials

Since photovoltaic (pv) panels are exposed to solar intensity long during the daytime, their temperature increases significantly, which reduces their electrical efficiencies. this crucial factor has led many studies to investigate various methods of cooling pv. the current study experimentally analyzes the effectiveness of a new passive method to reduce pvs’ temperature by using encapsulated phase change material (pcm) units placed on the pvs’ backsides. pcms have high latent heat and absorb/release huge amounts of thermal energy through melting/solidification. recent studies covered the pvs’ backside with pcm, while the current study used pcm capsules instead. this new strategy lets the pv exchange heat the ambient when pcm melt completely and improves cooling performance. an experimental setup was developed for this aim, and it was tested outdoors in bam, iran, in late april and early may 2024, considering two scenarios: pv with and without encapsulated pcm. the results proved that pcm units reduced the pv temperature between 3 oc and 9 oc. this temperature reduction caused the pv with pcm capsules to produce more electrical power by 17% compared to the conventional pv at noon. the higher the electrical power generated, the higher the efficiency can be achieved in the scenario with pcm units. the daily electrical efficiency of the pv with pcm units was 14.14% higher than the conventional pv. this study illustrates that using encapsulated pcm units as a passive method is a strong and affordable method to improve the pvs’ electrical efficiency.