Performance Enhancement of Photovoltaic Panels via Dual Innovative Cooling Strategies

Photovoltaic (PV) panel performance is significantly affected by operating temperature, with higher cell temperatures reducing efficiency and accelerating degradation. In hot climates, effective cooling is crucial to sustain energy yield. This study evaluates the combined use of Phase Change Material (PCM) and aluminium fin heat sinks as a passive cooling strategy. The PCM absorbs excess thermal energy during melting, delaying temperature rise, while the fins increase surface area for convective heat dissipation. Experimental tests compared a reference PV module, a PV with PCM, and a PV with PCM plus fins. The PCM + fins configuration reduced the average module temperature from approximately 41.00˚C (without cooling) to 37.15˚C, a decrease of about 3.85˚C. This reduction improved average module efficiency from 2.87% in the reference PV to 3.50%, representing a relative gain of 21.95%. Besides, the power output analysis showed that PCM + fins performed slightly lower in the early morning due to cooler ambient conditions, but during peak irradiance, it maintained higher voltage levels and minimized thermal losses, outperforming PCM alone. This resulted in more stable electrical parameters and improved daily energy yield. The results demonstrate that integrating PCM with aluminium fins is an effective, low-cost passive cooling method for PV panels in hot climates, while enhancing performance.