Experimental Study of the Use of Phase Change Materials as Cooling Media on Photovoltaic Panels

Abstract

Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) is a combination of electrical technology from photovoltaic solar panels (PV) with building construction. The PV panel was mounted onto the frames attached to the building's main outer wall. When solar radiation energy comes into contact on the PV surface, some part is reflected in the surroundings while mostly absorbed in the PV panel. The energy absorbed is converted into electricity while the rest dissipates into thermal energy, which increases the surface temperature of PV. The increases in the panels' surface temperature negatively impact the electrical output and PV panels' long-term reliability. One of them is the use of phase change materials (PCM) as heat storage materials. This research also emphasizes the use of beeswax as a material for storing heat energy. Using the T-History method by fusing beeswax, show that the temperature range between 49,40 to 57.15 oC with latent enthalpy 151.65 kJ/kg. In this research, we tested the use of PCM as a heat storage material for PV panels. Two types of containers to accommodate PCM are used, triangular containers and semicircular containers. From the test results, it was found that beeswax can function well as a heat storage so that the surface temperature of the PV + PCM panel is lower than that of standard PV. So that the voltage generated is higher than standard PV panels.