Comparative Study on Electrical Performance of Photovoltaic Panels Integrated with Thermoelectric Coolers and Finned Heat Sinks: An Experimental Study

The photovoltaic (PV) panels’ efficiency is reduced by increasing their temperature; hence, various cooling methods have been developed to handle this problem and cool PVs. Fins are simple, affordable, and strong methods employed in many heat transfer problems to fasten the heat dissipation rate. New cooling methods, such as thermoelectric coolers (TECs), have recently gained tremendous attention. The current study used an experimental approach to carry out a fair comparison between finned heat sinks (FHSs) and TECs. Three scenarios were considered and tested outdoors: uncooled PV, PV/FHSs, and PV/TECs. The obtained data revealed that the cooling methods used could effectively reduce the PV temperature. The PV temperatures at noon were 48 °C, 45 °C, and 44 °C in the uncooled PV, PV/FHSs, and PV/TECs, respectively. Hence, the cooler the PV panel, the higher the electrical power generated and the efficiency. The electrical power peaked at 2.5 W, 5.78 W, and 5.68 W in the uncooled PV, PV/FHSs, and PV/TECs; furthermore, the daily electrical efficiency reached 4.34%, 10.07%, and 9.77% in the uncooled PV, PV/FHSs, and PV/TECs, respectively. However, the TECs had a higher cooling performance than the FHSs, but the TECs consumed electrical power, affecting their performance. Hence, the PV/FHSs had slightly higher electrical efficiency than the PV/TECs. It can be concluded that FHSs and TECs are effective cooling methods, but TECs are highly costly. Therefore, FHSs are a favorable, affordable method to improve efficiency.