Evaluating the thermal performance of PV panels: an ANSYS simulation of mixed convection and air speed effects

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This work numerically examines the thermal performance of photovoltaic (PV) panels subjected to mixed convection at various external airflow velocities, simulated in ANSYS Fluent. To model solar radiation and real-time cooling capability, the panel model includes detailed, layer-specific optical and thermal properties, as well as incident solar radiation and convective cooling effects. Mesh quality and consistent numerical techniques guarantee accurate temperature estimation across PV cells. The air velocity also increased to 4 to 5 m/s, which reduced the maximum silicon cell temperature (Tmax) to 38.8 C rather than 53.3 o C, where there was a temperature drop (delta T) of 14.5 C. This cooling has been shown to have considerable impact on the performance of electrical systems. The relative power output at 5 m/s was much higher (approximately 8.1 percentage points) on the monocrystalline silicon modules at 5 m/s and a presumed temperature coefficient of power of 0.4 percent/C than at 1 m/s airflow. The layer-wise energy balance system, with a focus on reflectivity, absorptivity, and transmissivity, treats the generation of electrical energy as a heat source and therefore minimizes heat production in silicon cells. The study also outlines the boundary conditions, the turbulence model to be used in the analysis (k−ω SST), the radiation simulation, and the grid quality to enhance the validity of the numerical output. This data illustrates the significant role of convective cooling in maintaining lower temperatures in PV cells, thereby enabling higher efficiency and energy generation, particularly under conventional operating conditions that tend to cause higher temperatures and resulting performance loss. These efforts are directed towards developing a model that not only optimizes PV design but also realistically represents airflow and accounts for thermal management efficiency.

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