Page 8 - R&D News June 2021

PASSIVE

COOLING FOR

SOLAR PHOTO-VOLTAIC

Experimental and numerical assessments

of underlying natural air movement

on PV modules temperature

Project Leader : Prof Ir Dr Ong Kok Seng (UTAR)
Members : B. Singh (UiTM), Z.H. Solihin (UiTM), M.S. Naghavi (UM)

Photo-voltaic (PV) panel as a renewable energy power ment beneath the five PV
installation on rooftops is source. The performance and panels merged vertically. The
increasing all around the life span of PV panels scope of this study was limit-
world. The negative effect of increase when the operating ed to the temperature meas-

the temperature increment on temperature is decreased. An urement of air inlet/outlet and
the performance of the PV array of PV panels laid out PV panels temperature.”
panels is known. This study over a large expanse of roof
aims to evaluate the effect of could be effectively cooled by He added, “The effect of dis-
the gap between the panels natural convection (NC) of air tance between the panels and
and rooftop on the effective- underneath the panels if an rooftop and the solar radiation
ness of free natural convec- optimum spacing is main- intensity are two main param-
tion to pick up heat from the tained between the panels and eters that were studied. The

PV panel. the roof surface.” experimental results showed
that the mean temperature of
Prof Ong gave an introduction “Therefore, an experimental the PV array with no air gap
on his research and explained, and numerical investigation could be about 12 ± 5 ◦C
“Solar PV power utilisation is was carried out to study the higher than one provided with
increasing all over the world effect of the natural air move- an air gap greater than 200