Role of PCM in Solar Photovoltaic Cooling: An Overview

The present article put forth a comprehensive review of the latest research works carried out on the cooling techniques for maintaining the required temperature of photovoltaic modules for achieving greater efficiency. The conventional cooling technologies such as water cooling, air cooling and water spray are little discussed in this article as these are not preferred in the present scenario due to their power requirement and complicated arrangement. The phase change materials (PCM) have evolved as a better alternative for the cooling of photovoltaic modules due to their advantageous thermo-physical properties. The recent research investigations on using phase change materials as heat absorbing material are critically reviewed in the present article. The investigations include experimental and numerical studies on single PCM, combined PCM (PCM with nanoparticles, graphite powders), PCM as secondary thermal energy storage. The critical review suggests that further research works are necessary for developing a passive design (not using external power) for obtaining optimum temperature of the solar photovoltaic modules.