An integrated thermal management solution for flat-type solar photovoltaic modules

Solar photovoltaics (PV) are employed for a range of distributed power generation applications in the oil and gas industry. However, despite unprecedented solar irradiation levels in the Arabian Gulf, such installations incur significant power output losses in hot and dusty (i.e., desert) ambient conditions. In this study, a prototype PV module electrical performance enhancement solution is designed, constructed and experimentally characterized that combines active thermal management and sun-tracking to reduce PV cell operating temperature while enhancing solar irradiation absorption. Both steady-state and dynamic cooling conditions are investigated to compare the effectiveness of continuous and intermittent water-cooling. Water cooling a stationary PV module using unchilled water (35-40°C) is found to be at least as effective as sun-tracking a passively-cooled module in terms of power output. Chilled water-cooling (7-20°C) produces improvements in peak electrical power output of up to 40% depending on seasonal and daily conditions, relative to passively-cooled stationary operation. In addition, dynamic (i.e., intermittent) water-cooling is sufficient to maintain high PV module electrical output.