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Demonstration project of a cooling system for existing PV power plants in Portugal

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  • Castanheira, André F.A.
  • Fernandes, João F.P.
  • Branco, P.J. Costa

Abstract

Water cooling continues to be an attractive solution for mitigating thermal effects in photovoltaic (PV) panels. However, a technically viable and economically effective design of a cooling system for utility-scale solar power plants already operating is still in its early developments. In this context, this work not only presents the design and characterization of a water cooling kit system specifically conducted for already existing and operating PV plants, but also takes into account various aspects of its potential as a commercial-scale product. One considers not only water and energy losses in the cooling system, optimizing it for a real industrial application, but also economic aspects as the investment cost, durability and maintenance have been taken into account. In this specific context, the cooling kit was designed to minimize its cost and also the amount of water used. An analytical model is also presented and validated to predict the PV temperature of a cooled and non-cooled panel, all based on meteorological data at the desired installation place. Prototyping and testing were done on a 20 kW PV plant functioning in a roof of an industrial building in Lisbon (Portugal). Experiments showed how cooling/heating thermal time constants of the PV panels and water ON/OFF time cycles affect PVs’ efficiency. A large amount of test data was produced and analyzed, showing how the cooling kit can increase annual energy production up to +12%.

Suggested Citation

  • Castanheira, André F.A. & Fernandes, João F.P. & Branco, P.J. Costa, 2018. "Demonstration project of a cooling system for existing PV power plants in Portugal," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 1297-1307.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:211:y:2018:i:c:p:1297-1307
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.11.086
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Žižak, Tej & Domjan, Suzana & Medved, Sašo & Arkar, Ciril, 2022. "Efficiency and sustainability assessment of evaporative cooling of photovoltaics," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(PA).
    2. Hamed, Tareq Abu & Alshare, Aiman & El-Khalil, Hossam, 2019. "Passive cooling of building-integrated photovolatics in desert conditions: Experiment and modeling," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 131-138.
    3. Lu, Wei & Liu, Zhishan & Flor, Jan-Frederik & Wu, Yupeng & Yang, Mo, 2018. "Investigation on designed fins-enhanced phase change materials system for thermal management of a novel building integrated concentrating PV," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 696-709.
    4. Nižetić, Sandro & Jurčević, Mišo & Čoko, Duje & Arıcı, Müslüm, 2021. "A novel and effective passive cooling strategy for photovoltaic panel," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    5. Siddiqui, M.U. & Siddiqui, Osman K. & Al-Sarkhi, A. & Arif, A.F.M. & Zubair, Syed M., 2019. "A novel heat exchanger design procedure for photovoltaic panel cooling application: An analytical and experimental evaluation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(C), pages 41-56.
    6. Karkaba, H. & Etienne, L. & Pelay, U. & Russeil, S. & Simo tala, J. & Boonaert, J. & Lecoeuche, S. & Bougeard, D., 2023. "Performance improvement of air cooled photo-voltaic thermal panel using economic model predictive control and vortex generators," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C).
    7. Hadipour, Amirhosein & Rajabi Zargarabadi, Mehran & Rashidi, Saman, 2021. "An efficient pulsed- spray water cooling system for photovoltaic panels: Experimental study and cost analysis," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 867-875.
    8. Hu, Mingke & Zhao, Bin & Ao, Xianze & Ren, Xiao & Cao, Jingyu & Wang, Qiliang & Su, Yuehong & Pei, Gang, 2020. "Performance assessment of a trifunctional system integrating solar PV, solar thermal, and radiative sky cooling," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    9. Bevilacqua, Piero & Bruno, Roberto & Arcuri, Natale, 2020. "Comparing the performances of different cooling strategies to increase photovoltaic electric performance in different meteorological conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).

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