Experimental Study on Thermal Management of Conventional Photovoltaic Module Using Hybrid Cooling System

Photovoltaic (PV) cell junctions are thermally stressed, occasioned by heightened temperature beyond cell operating temperature threshold. This leads to efficiency diminution, which when properly addressed will change the fortune of PV electricity generation; which is more desired for reasons of clean energy and ubiquity of solar flux. Two 80W monocrystalline PV modules were installed at a tilt angle of 17°, south facing, on a stationary rack on top of Obafemi Awolowo University Physics Building. One module’s back surface had a hybrid cooling and the other as control. The PV modules cell temperatures, the ambient temperature, the solar irradiance and the power output of the PV modules were measured diurnally in the months of February and March. The passive and active segments hours’ temperature reductions were found to be 6.19 °C and 10.37 °C respectively, averaging 8.28 °C diurnally. Consequently, 21.5% improvement in thermal performance of the hybridized cooled PV module and 26.77% increase in conversion efficiency. Hybrid cooling system for conventional photovoltaic modules produces greater temperature reduction, culminating in improved efficiency performance and the corresponding gain in energy converted.