Featured in 2025 Unboxed – 02-2025

Cooler panels could prevail

As solar deployment accelerates in markets where high ambient temperatures are the norm, researchers across the globe continue to experiment with new approaches to cooling PV modules. A cost-efficient solution could have a significant impact on project efficiency and panel lifespans.

By

Matthew Lynas

07 Feb 2025

Research suggests that a commercially viable solution for cooling modules operating in hot climates, such as this rooftop array in Pakistan, could significantly extend solar plant lifecycles. | Photo: Wateen Energy Solutions

Thermal degradation: an opportunity wrapped in a problem. Equatorial PV deployment is growing and an affordable method of mitigating high-temperature-induced thermal degradation of panels could increase module efficiency and reduce the need to “repower” projects.Achieving cost-efficient cooling, however, is tricky.Researchers in Malaysia who published a review of PV module cooling techniques in Results in Engineering, in June …

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