Analysis and assessment of thermal performance of photovoltaic solar panels coupled with phase change material in a semi-arid climate

Abstract

For a long time, the aim has always been to install photovoltaic modules in regions with high levels of sunlight. However, only a small portion of the incident solar irradiation is converted into electricity, while the remainder is converted into heat, leading to an increase in the temperature of the photovoltaic module (PV) cells. The operating temperature is one of the most important factors, which can be controlled using different passive and active techniques. In this work, a numerical simulation was conducted using ANSYS Fluent software to evaluate the thermal behavior of the PV module coupled to a phase-change material (PCM). The simulation was carried out for two different weather conditions during a day in summer and winter in a semi-arid area, which is the case of the city of Errachidia in south-east Morocco, by exploring climatic conditions, we were able to identify the most favorable situations for the use of PCM, to ensure efficient and precise adaptation to different environments. A parametric numerical simulation was conducted to assess the effect of two different PCMs for different thicknesses under two different weather conditions. Indeed, the results revealed that the effect of the PCM is greater in summer than in winter. In addition, the impact of PCM varies according to type, due to variations in their thermophysical properties. A maximum temperature drop of around 18°C was observed using the 4 cm thick PCM- RT44HC in summer. However, this also improves the PV module's electrical performance.