Effect of Water Cooling and Dust Removal on Solar Photovoltaic Module Efficiency

• Published in: Journal of Advanced Research in Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences
• Main Author: Amran N.M.H.N.; Hassan S.L.M.; Halim I.S.A.; Sulaiman N.; Abdullah N.E.; Rahim A.A.A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Semarak Ilmu Publishing 2023
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85163734587&doi=10.37934%2farfmts.105.1.184193&partnerID=40&md5=e1a884f624ba2866b0e3a85084c2c92c

This paper is on the effect of water cooling and dust removal on solar photovoltaic module efficiency. Photovoltaic power generation suffers from low energy conversion efficiency, mainly caused by the photovoltaic module's extraordinarily high operating surface temperatures and dust collection. This paper studies the effect of overheating and dust accumulation on the photovoltaic module performance. This paper presents a cooling and dust removal automatic system to increase performance. The objectives of this paper are, first, to develop a method for the cleaning and cooling of solar modules that are fully automated; second, to investigate the effect that the cooling system has on the surface of the solar modules; and lastly, to study the impact that dust and heated panel have on the performance of the solar system. The photovoltaic module was water-cooled using a prototype with a built-in motor and water pump that operated to cool and clean the photovoltaic module. Water-cooled modules are then compared to conventional modules (no modification). For the debris build-up investigation, the traditional module is covered with 20%, 30% and 50% estimated dust coating on the module surface. The output power is compared to the module with a cleaning system (zero dust coverage). According to these findings, it takes the solar module only five weeks to lose 20% of its efficiency once it has been installed. The research found that the module had a low energy conversion efficiency when the surface temperature was relatively high. The increase in surface temperature can be attributed to the production of heat energy on the surface due to the module being exposed to intense sunlight. © 2023, Semarak Ilmu Publishing. All rights reserved.