Canadian startup secures patent for solar module cooling tech
Enertopia has developed a solar module cooling system that uses a moisture collection layer to transfer heat while capturing water for irrigation in arid regions. The design channels heat from the panel to a liquid transfer system, improving efficiency and water use.
Reducing solar module temperature via electrospray cooling
Scientists in Turkey have sought to use electrospray cooling to reduce the operating temperature of photovoltaic for the first time. They said their experiments offer promising results for the potential application of this technique in real PV systems.
Compressed air tech for solar module cleaning, cooling
British scientists have developed an experimental compressed air system for the simultaneous cleaning and cooling of PV modules. The system was built with a compressed-air unit which was made of a compressor, an air tank, and an airflow regulation valve, and a series of nozzles. The technique was tested on a PV system located in northwestern India.
Passive solar module cooling based on hydrogels beads and nanofluids
A British-Egyptian research group has tested the use of hydrogels beads for PV module cooling. The micro-sized particles were saturated with aluminium oxide (Al2O3) water-based nanofluids and placed below the simulated PV panels. The experiment showed, according to the scientists, that the hydrogels beads were able to significantly reduce the temperature by between 17.9 and 16.3 degrees Celsius.
Rectangular aluminum fins for PV module cooling
Scientists in Pakistan have proposed a new passive cooling technique which they claim can improve a module’s open-circuit voltage by up to 12.97% and its efficiency by up to 2.08%.
New approach for convective solar module cooling
A US research team claims to have demonstrated that packing PV modules in close proximity can exponentially increase convective heat transfer of a solar park. The scientists analyzed three different module arrangements and compared them to the common row-organized panel configuration.
The best PV module cooling technique
An international research team has analyzed all existing cooling technologies for PV panels and has indicated the current best options and future trends of research. According to its findings, active water cooling, although expensive and not particularly practical, is the most effective cooling technique while passive cooling systems, despite being easy to apply, have still limited possibilities.
