Numerical study of an inclined photovoltaic system coupled with phase change material under various operating conditions

Photovoltaic panels suffer from high temperatures. A large part of absorbed solar radiation is converted into heat, which causes heating of PV cells and therefore leads to decrease PV efficiency. The effect of integrating different PCMs with different thicknesses is studied. Coupling photovoltaic panel with the suitable macroencapsulated phase change material layer is important for having better thermal regulation of PV panel. In the current thermodynamic investigation, melting and solidification processes of the selected PCM are carried out. To achieve a realistic simulation of heat and mass transfer of PV-PCM system, it is very important to analyze the effects of the following exterior operating conditions on PV panel performance: wind direction, wind speed and dust accumulation. Dust deposition density of 3 g/m2, 6 g/m2, and 9 g/m2 reduces electrical power of about 1.2 W, 2.8 W and 3 W, respectively. Moreover, the increase of wind speed leads to increase the heat losses due to forced convection and therefore reduces PV panel temperature. Eventually, wind azimuth angle increase causes an increase in the operating temperature of the PV panel.