Performance Enhancement of Floating PV/T Collectors through Passive Cooling with Air and Water-Based Cross-Cut Fins

Abstract

One of its main disadvantages is that photovoltaic (PV) cells have lower efficiency as operation temperatures rise. Extensively used cooling methods to overcome this issue are adding extended surfaces underneath the cells as heatsinks and using a floating system, improving heat dissipation, and preserving ideal operating temperatures. In this field, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods have become popular since they provide an economical means of cutting down on research time, costs, and material usage. This work employs CFD simulation to evaluate the thermal performance of floating Photovoltaic/Thermal (FPV/T cell) systems, focusing on the effects of wind speed, solar radiation, water temperature, ambient temperature, height, and material of fins to identify the optimal operating parameters. Cross-cut fins are joined and positioned underneath the FPV/T cell to improve cooling effectiveness further. Simulations investigate the thermal behavior of FPV/T cell systems under various parameter combinations using a two-dimensional CFD model based on the finite volume method (FVM). When comparing FPV finned systems to traditional PV cells, the results show a significant improvement in thermal performance. The result is demonstrated by decreased FPV/T cell temperature impacted by water and ambient temperatures, cross-cut fin materials, and PV panel height.