CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
Energy is the ability to do work. While energy surrounds us in all
aspects of life, the ability to harness it and use it for constructive ends as
economically as possible is the challenge before mankind. Alternative energy
refers to energy sources which are not based on the burning of fossil fuels or
the splitting of atoms. The renewed interest in this field of study comes from
the undesirable effects of pollution (as witnessed today) both from burning
fossil fuels and from nuclear waste byproducts. Fortunately there are many
means of harnessing energy which have less damaging impacts on our
environment.
The alternatives are,
Solar
Wind Power
Geothermal
Tides
Hydroelectric
Solar energy is the energy derived from the sun through the form
of solar radiation.
Solar technologies are characterized as either
Passive solar
Active solar
Depending on the way they capture, convert and distribute solar
energy. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic panels and
solar thermal collectors to harness the energy.
1

Passive solar techniques

include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable

thermal mass or light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that
naturally circulate air.
Solar Energy
Solar energy comes to us in the form of electromagnetic radiation.
When this solar energy comes into contact with matter, one of three things
will happen to it:
1. It may be reflected off of the matter, or
2. It may be transmitted through the matter, or
3. It may be absorbed by the matter and turned into heat.
1.1 PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL
A solar cell (also called a photovoltaic cell) is an electrical device that
converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect.
It is a form of photoelectric cell.
The operation of a photovoltaic (PV) cell requires 3 basic attributes:
1. The absorption of light, generating either electron-hole pairs or
excites
2. The separation of differing types of charge carriers.
3. The separate extraction of those carriers to an external circuit
1.2 SOLAR RADIATION
It is the flow of energy we receive from the sun in the form of
electromagnetic waves of different frequencies (visible light, infrared and

ultraviolet). Depending on how solar radiation they receive the objects at the
earth's surface, we can distinguish these types of radiation:
1. Direct radiation is one that comes directly from the sun without
having undergone any change in its direction. This type of radiation
is characterized by projecting a shadow set of opaque objects that
intersect.
2. Reflected radiation is the radiation is reflected as its name suggests
this reflected by the Earth's surface. The amount of radiation
depends on the reflectance of the surface.
3. Diffuse radiation Part of the radiation that passes through the
atmosphere is reflected by clouds or absorbed by them. This
radiation called diffuse going in all directions as a result of
reflection and absorption not only the clouds but the particles of
atmospheric dust mountains the ground itself and so on.
4. Radiation is the total radiation. It is the sum of the three radiations.
On a clear day with clear sky direct radiation is predominant over
the diffuse radiation. By contrast on a cloudy day there is no direct
radiation and the total incident radiation is diffuse.
1.3 POWER GENERATION
Photovoltaic power generation is a method of producing electricity
using solar cells. A solar cell converts solar optical energy directly in to
electrical energy. The major problem related to the solar cell is their lower
efficiency.
Photovoltaic cells have low efficiency of 15% only about 1/6 th of the
sunlight striking the cell generates electricity. Photovoltaic cells suffer from a

drop in cell efficiency with rise in temperature .So there by cooling the solar
cell we can improve the power collecting capacity of the panel.
The present work concentrates upon mainly two things, the first one is
to improve the panels power collecting capacity by decreasing the
temperature and the other using the heat energy taken out at the rear side of
the solar panel for different purposes. The power collecting capacity can be
increased by lowering the temperature of the panel this can be achieved by
passing continuously air with the help of a blower on the bottom side of the
panel.
So the temperature can be lowered and the air can be heated also, so
that we can use it as solar air heater. In our work of lowering the temperature
of the panel is done by cooling the panel by the supply of water at the top
side. This is also an effective method. Solar panel doesnt need heat to
produce power but light energy.
Solar cells are found in calculators, childrens toys, torches and
satellites etc. Solar cells are also called photovoltaic (PV) cells, photo
meaning "light" and voltaic meaning "electricity", which generate electricity
directly from visible light by means of the photovoltaic effect.
A group of PV cells connected electrically and placed into a frame is
called a module (or a solar panel), which can then be grouped into larger
groups of modules to form a solar array.
Photovoltaic cells are made of semiconductors such as silicon. When
light strikes the cell, a portion of it is absorbed within the semiconductor
material; the energy of the absorbed light is transferred to the
semiconductor. The transferred energy then knocks electrons loose, allowing
them to flow freely.

PV cells have electric fields that force electrons to flow in a certain

direction. This flow of electrons is an electric current; when the metal
contacts are placed on the top and bottom of the PV cell, it allows us to draw
the current off for external use.

Figure 1.1 Solar Cell

CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE SURVEY
M.S.Sodha developed a thermal model of an integrated photovoltaic
and thermal solar (IPVTS) water/air heating system. They gave an analytical
expression for the temperature of solar cell and water and an overall thermal
efficiency of IPVTS system have been derived as a function of climatic and
design parameters
It is found that the characteristic daily efficiency of IPVTS system with
water is higher than with air. An analytical expression for the water
temperature of an integrated photovoltaic thermal solar water heater under
constant flow rate hot water withdrawal has been obtained and investigated
by Arvind Tiwari
In this work, the analysis based upon basic energy balance for hybrid
flat plate collector and storage tank respectively in the terms of design and
climatic parameters. And also the further analysis has been extended for hot
water withdrawal at constant collection temperature.
In this paper numerical computations have been carried out for the
design and climatic parameters of the system used by Huang et al. It is
observed that the daily overall thermal efficiency of the present system
increases with increase constant flow rate and decrease with increase of
constant collection temperature. The energy analysis of IPVTS system has
also been carried out.

It is further to be noted that the overall energy and thermal efficiency of

an integrated photovoltaic thermal solar system (IPVTS) is maximum at the
hot water withdrawal flow rate of 0.006 kg/s. He found out using experiments
that the electricity conversion-efficiency of a solar cell for commercial
application is about 615% and 85% of the incoming solar energy is either
reflected or absorbed as heat energy.
Thus the working temperature of the solar cells increases considerably
after prolonged operations and the cells efficiency drops significantly. They
concluded that for improving the efficiency of solar cell, hybrid photovoltaic
and thermal (PVT) collector technology using water as the coolant has been
seen as a solution for improving the energy performance.
Through good thermal-contact between the thermal absorber and the
PV module, both the electrical efficiency and the thermal efficiency can be
raised. Fin performance of the heat exchanger is one crucial factor in
achieving a high overall energy yield. In this paper the design developments
of the PVT collectors are briefly reviewed.
Their observation is that very few studies have been done on the PVT
system while the system efficiencies did vary with the operating conditions
the test results indicated that the daily thermal efficiency could reach around
40% when the initial water-temperature in the system is the same as the daily
mean ambient temperature.
Anand.S.Joshihas been made an attempt in this paper to evaluate
energy analysis of a hybrid photovoltaicthermal (PV/T) parallel plate air
collector for cold climatic condition of India (Srinagar). The climatic data of
Srinagar for the period of four years (19982001) has been obtained from
Indian Metrological Department (IMD), Pune, India. Based on the data four
climatic conditions have been defined.
7

The performance of a hybrid PV/T parallel plate air collector has been
studied for four climatic conditions and then energy efficiencies have been
carried out. It is observed that an instantaneous energy and energy efficiency
of PV/T air heater varies between 5565 and1215%, respectively. These
results are very close to the results predicted by Bosanac et al.
This paper presents a review of the available literature on PV/T
collectors by P.G.Charalambous The review is presented in order to enable an
easier comparison of the findings obtained by various researchers especially
on parameters affecting PV/T performance (electrical and thermal).
The review covers the description of flat plate and concentrating, water
and air PV/T collector types, analytical and numerical models, simulation and
experimental work and qualitative evaluation of thermal/electrical output. The
parameters affecting PV/T performance such as covered versus uncovered
PV/T collectors, optimum mass flow rate, absorber plate parameters (i.e. tube
spacing, tube diameter, fin thickness) and absorber to fluid thermal
conductance and configuration design types are extensively discussed.
Based on an energy analysis, it was reported that the coverless PV/T
collector produces the largest available total (electrical + thermal) energy.
From the literature review, it is clear that PV/T collectors are very promising
devices and further work should be carried out aiming at improving their
efficiency and reducing their cost, making them more competitive and thus
aid towards global expansion and utilization of this environmentally friendly
renewable energy device.
Experimental and numerical simulations were implemented by Tiwari
to evaluate the overall performance of PV/T air collector. In this study
different kind of configurations of PV/T air collector (like unglazed, glazed,
with and without tedlar were used to investigate the electrical and thermal
8

performance. It was shown that the glazed PV/T air collector without tedlar
provides the best performance.
Saurabh Mehrotraalso studied and done experimental analysis related
to solar cell immersed in water. They also studied the performance of solar
cell with temperature. With the increase in surface temperature of solar cells
or panels their efficiency decreases quite dramatically.
To overcome the heating of solar cell surface, water cooling technique
can be used i.e. so as to maintain its surface temperature and provide better
efficiency at extreme temperatures. In this study electrical parameters of solar
cell were calculated which showed that the cooling factor plays an important
role in the electrical efficiency enhancement.
Many researches and studies have been carried out on increasing the
PV efficiency by different cooling techniques. As a result the PV temperature
reduced to 22 C and the electrical performance increased to 10.3 % over the
day. One of the drawbacks of this design is the non-homogenous thickness of
the water film which is necessary to determine the optimum water film in
order to improve the optical performance. Hosseini studied the effectiveness
of spraying water over the PV instead of making it running continuously over
the surface.
Without taking into account the pump power they were able to achieve
an increase in the electrical system performance by 17% from 9 am to 5 pm in
summer. And by readjusting the system water pump to produce a continuous
flow of water over the PV surface they obtained 26% improvement in the
instantaneous peak output of the panel. Dorobantu and Popescuachieved an
electrical yield of about 9.5% by cooling the PV front surface using a thin
film of water.

The advantage of this cooling system is decreasing the temperature of

the panel in addition to obtaining better electrical efficiency due to decreasing
the reflection losses. Moharram were able to calculate the maximum
allowable temperature of PV panel (45C) at which cooling by spraying
should start to improve the overall power output.
They observed that the cooling system needs to operate for 5 min to
decrease the module temperature by 10C. Balamuralikrishnan tested the
improvement of efficiency of PV module by applying many techniques.
They designed a system consisting of cooling unit and sun tracking
unit. The cooling unit is an electronic controller circuit that excites DC pumpto-pump water and form water film on the PV surface.
2.1 CONCENTRATED ILLUMINATION
Royne (2005) in a review of PV cooling methodologies, for use under
concentrated illumination provide a set of requirements for cooling
techniques. The cooling method needs to ensure that the operating
temperature does not exceed the point at which irreversible degradation
occurs in the cell. In addition it is desirable for the temperature to be uniform
across the cells
For the technology to be reliable and simple for the thermal energy
produced to be useable for the pumping power to be minimal and for the
cooling technology to be efficient in the use of materials.
The authors note that there is an inherent conflict in the desire to keep
the temperature low to enhance electrical efficiency and to have a high
temperature thereby increasing the usefulness of the thermal energy. These
authors define three basic geometries of concentrated PV systems: 1. Singlecell point focus 2.A linear row of cells 3.Densely packed cells.
10

In a linear arrangement, passive cooling could be used for

concentrations of 10 or 20 suns. Heat pipes can also be used in this
configuration. At higher concentrations forced convection with air or water is
required with air circulation becoming too costly at higher concentrations and
water preferred. In densely packed configurations, active cooling is required.
Micro-channels etched in the silicon for water transport can reportedly
maintain a temperature of 40celsius under an irradiance of 500 W/m 2. Other
techniques include impinging jets, submerging the cells in liquid, boiling the
coolant, and coolant channels in thermal contact with the cells. Depending on
the application, the average heat transfer coefficient can be used (the ratio of
the rate of heat removal to average temperature difference), or it may be
necessary to use local heat transfer coefficients
An average coefficient can be taken from the literature, or it may be
necessary to model its variation with temperature. In their review Royne
(2005) found that it was common to model heat transfer through the panel as
a series of thermal resistances, with separate resistance values for cover glass,
adhesive, PV cell, solder, and substrate.
A linearized version of the heat transfer due to radiation is used in
which the flux varies with the fourth power of the ambient temperature and
the first power of the surface temperature. Sala (1989) presents a theoretical
overview of cooling PV cells under concentration in conditions of still air at
25 Celsius. He finds that without concentration, if a cell can radiate from both
faces, radiation alone is sufficient to cool the cell.
Sala further finds that considering either radiation or convection alone,
if the radiation (or dissipating) surface area is twice the size of the cell area
times the effective concentration, concentrations

11

are possible while

maintaining temperatures within the range in which the electrical efficiency is

equal to or better than the reference efficiency.
When radiation and convection are combined Sala finds that with
stagnant air and ignoring albedo radation, radiative losses account for up to
60% of the heat removal. With wind speed of 2m/s the losses from radation
can be 30% of the total.
2.2 ELECTRICAL EFFICIENCY
A typical value for PV efficiency loss with temperature is 0.5%C (SEI,
2004), though this varies with the type of cell. Sala (1989) notes that the rate
of reduction with temperature decreases with concentration. In a standard PV
module the improvements in electrical efficiency alone cannot justify the
costs of the cooling system and that cooling is only cost effective if
concentration is used or if the energy recovered through cooling is put to use.
The improved optics and cell temperatures increased electrical yield
10.3% over the day (8-9% after accounting for pumping energy). He also
noted an unexpected aesthetic benefit. Meneses-Rodriguez (2005) considered
a novel technique to improve the electrical efficiency with cooling.
The authors explored the benefits of running PV cells at near their
maximum theoretical temperatures (100-170Celsius). Theoretically the
electrical efficiency can be in the range 10-16%. The cooling fluid would be
used to run a Stirling engine. With a sink temperature of 30 Celsius the
authors estimate a theoretical total efficiency greater than30%.
2.3 HYBRID PV/THERMAL (PV/T) SYSTEMS
Vokas (2005) investigated PV/T systems. They studied the thermal
energy benefits of a thermal collector with a PV laminate attached to the
front. They found the theoretical efficiency of the system was 9% lower than
12

that of conventional thermal collectors. They estimate that a 30m2 collector

of this type would provide 54% of the heating and 32% of the cooling of a
typical house in Athens.
Tripanagnostopoulos et al. (2001) also investigated hybrid PV/Thermal
(PV/T) systems. In a PV/T system, the thermal energy is put to use typically
for space heating, water preheating, ventilation or for industrial applications
such as food drying.
The reflector increases electrical output by 16%. The water was more
effective at removing heat than the air, achieving thermal efficiencies of 71%,
compared with 59% for the air coolant. They note that the enhanced electrical
efficiency (up to 3.2%) is not cost-effective unless the thermal energy is also
used. The thermal efficiency equations of Duffie and Beckman (1991) for
solar collectors can be used to evaluate the thermal performance of a PV
panel.
These authors derive the useful energy gain of a collector as a linear
relationship of the temperature difference between inlet fluid temperature and
ambient temperature, and a collector heat removal factor. Another wellknown technique for thermal analysis of flat plate solar collectors is the
Hottel-Whillier (HW) method.
Duffie and Beckman (1991) set forth the general assumptions of the
model and describe its usefulness in terms of relevant energy coefficients
calculated from simplified mathematics.
The model depicts convection, conduction, and radiation as resistive
elements combined in series and parallel to form the overall heat loss
coefficients for a solar collector. The pertinent equations are based on the
temperature gradient between parallel plates, thermal conductivities,
13

emissivitys and collector plate dimensions. The use of the Hottel-Whillier

model is substantiated for conventional collector design by de Winter (1990).
The model is extended by Florschuetz (1976) to the analysis of a
combined photovoltaic thermal collector system. This extension preserves the
general form of the HW model by modifying existing model parameters to
incorporate electrical output. The modifications of the original equations are
based on the assumption that cell efficiency decreases linearly with increasing
local temperature.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this project is to optimize the efficiency of a solar panel by
water cooling technique. This will further increase the electrical efficiency of
the panel and the system will be highly efficient.

14

CHAPTER 3
EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
3.1 DESCRIPTION OF EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
3.1.1 Fabrication of PV Panel Cooling System
COMPONENTS
1. Solar Photovoltaic Panel
2. Bolt, Nut & Screws
3. Wires
4. Tank
5. Submerged Pump
6. Pipes
Measuring Equipments

15

1. Digital Multimeter
2. Wall Thermometer
3.1.2 Solar PV Cell
A solar cell (also called a photovoltaic cell) is an electrical device that
converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect.
It is a form of photoelectric cell.
The operation of a photovoltaic (PV) cell requires 3 basic attributes:
1) The absorption of light, generating either electron-hole pairs or
excites
2) The separation of differing types of charge carriers.
3) The separate extraction of those carriers to an external circuit
Solar cells are found in calculators, childrens toys, torches and
satellites etc. Solar cells are also called photovoltaic (PV) cells, photo
meaning "light" and voltaic meaning "electricity", which generate electricity
directly from visible light by means of the photovoltaic effect.
A group of PV cells connected electrically and placed into a frame is
called a module (or a solar panel), which can then be grouped into larger
groups of modules to form a solar array.
3.1.3 Monocrystalline Silicon Cell
Monocrystalline structures are composed of an extremely pure silicon
crystal throughout. Monocrystalline cells are cut from a silicon ingot grown

16

from a single large crystal of silicon in which crystal lattice is entire solid,
continuous, unbroken, no grains and no boundaries.
Single-crystal wafer cells tend to be expensive, and because they are
cut from cylindrical ingots, do not completely cover a square solar cell
module without a substantial waste of refined silicon. Hence most c-Si panels
have uncovered gaps at the four corners of the cells.
3.1.4 Polycrystalline Silicon Cell
Polycrystalline cells are cut from an ingot made up of many smaller
crystals having grains.
It is made from cast square ingots-large blocks of molten silicon
carefully cooled and solidified. Poly-Si cells are less expensive to produce
than single crystal silicon cells, but are little less efficient compare to mono
crystalline.
Conversion efficiency (the amount of solar light reaching a panel and
converted into electrical power) is little low compared to monocrystalline.

3.1.5 Amorphous Silicon Cell

Amorphous silicon (a-Si) PV module or thin-film silicon PV module
absorbs light more effectively than crystalline silicon PV module, so it can be
made thinner.
They are made by depositing a thin film of silicon onto a sheet of
another material such as steel. The panel is formed as one piece and the
individual cells are not as visible as in other types of solar panels.

17

The efficiency of amorphous solar panels is not as high as those made

from crystalline solar cells this is because of their lower power density.
Amorphous solar cells have a much shorter lifespan, therefore returning a
much smaller investment for your investment.
3.1.6 Thin Film Photovoltaic Cell
A thin film solar cell (TFSC), also called a thin film photovoltaic cell
(TFPV). It is made by depositing one or more thin layers of photo voltaic
material on a substrate. The thickness range of such a layer is wide and varies
from a few nanometers to tens of micrometers.
Thin-film solar cells are usually categorized according to the
photovoltaic material used:
Amorophous silicon (a-Si) and other thin-film silicon (TF-Si)
Cadmium telluride (CdTe)
Copper indium gallium selenide (CIS or CIGS)
Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) and other organic solar cells.
3.2 MATERIAL SELECTION
The various factors which determine the choice of material are
discussed below.
3.2.1 Properties
The material selected must possess the necessary properties for the
proposed application. The various requirements to be satisfied can be weight,
surface finish, rigidity, ability to withstand environmental attack from
chemicals, service life, reliability etc.
18

The following four types of principle properties of materials decisively

affect their selection
a. Physical
b. Mechanical
c. From manufacturing point of view
d. Chemical
The various physical properties concerned are melting point, thermal
Conductivity, specific heat, coefficient of thermal expansion, specific gravity,
electrical conductivity, magnetic purposes etc.
The various Mechanical properties Concerned are strength in tensile,
Compressive shear, bending, torsional and buckling load, fatigue resistance,
impact resistance, elastic limit, endurance limit, and modulus of elasticity,
hardness, wear resistance and sliding properties.
The various properties concerned from the manufacturing point of view
are,
Weld ability
Surface properties
Shrinkage

3.2.2 Manufacturing case

Sometimes the demand for lowest possible manufacturing cost or
surface qualities obtainable by the application of suitable coating substances
may demand the use of special materials.
3.2.3 Quality Required
19

This generally affects the manufacturing process and ultimately the

material. For example, it would never be desirable to go casting of a less
number of components which can be fabricated much more economically by
welding or hand forging the steel.
3.2.4 Availability of Material
Some materials may be scarce or in short supply. It then becomes
obligatory for the designer to use some other material which though may not
be a perfect substitute for the material designed. The delivery of materials and
the delivery date of product should also be kept in mind.
3.2.5 Space consideration
Sometimes high strength materials have to be selected because the
forces involved are high and space limitations are there.
3.2.6 Cost
As in any other problem, in selection of material the cost of material
plays an important part and should not be ignored. Sometimes factors like
scrap utilization, appearance, and non-maintenance of the designed part are
involved in the selection of proper materials.
3.3 COOLING TECHNIQUES
Photovoltaic panels (PV) get overheated due to excessive solar
radiation and high ambient temperatures. Overheating reduces the efficiency
of the panels.
Hybrid Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) solar system is one of the most
popular methods for cooling the photovoltaic panels nowadays. The hybrid
system consists of a solar photovoltaic panels combined with a cooling
system. Water is circulated around the PV panels for cooling the solar cells,

20

and the warm water leaving the panels pump back to water tank. Warm water
mixed with cool water of tank.

Figure 3.1 Solar Panel Cooling System

It was found that the solar panel with water cooling generates more
energy. However, cooling by spraying water is not an efficient method, since
the water will not be sprayed over the whole panel, and therefore, some parts
of the PV panels will not be cooled, as well as this method results in a very
high water loss.
The cooling system consists of an evaporator section and a condenser
section. The input heat from the sun vaporizes the liquid inside the evaporator
section and then the vapor passes through the condenser section, and finally,
the condenser section is cooled down using water. Hence, the heat pipe can
transfer the heat from solar panel to water depending on the system.

21

Using air as a coolant was found to decrease the solar cells temperature
by 4.7 C and increases the solar panel efficiency by 2.6%, while using water
as a coolant was found to decrease the solar cells temperature by 8 C and the
panel efficiency by 3%. Therefore, cooling by water was found to be more
effective than cooling by air.
3.3.1 Water Cooling
Water cooling methods provide improved performance over the air
cooling methods due to the increase in heat carrying capacity of water over
air. These methods make use of water, chilled or unchilled, as the working
fluid. Unlike in air cooling methods that are limited to traditional natural and
forced convections, water cooling has a broader range. Some methods that
implement water cooling are natural and force convections, front water
cooling, heat pipe and immersion techniques. This section highlights the
recent developments in water cooling techniques.

3.4 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION OF A SYSTEM

Table 3.1 PV Panel Specifications
22

S.
No.

Description

Specifications

1.

Solar PV module type

D2ES050P36

2.

Power

50Wp +/- 3%

3.

Open circuit voltage

21.6

4.

Short circuit current

2.99

5.

Current and maximum power

2.84

6.

Voltage at maximum power

17.82

7.

Application class

8.

Permissible system voltage

600 V

9.

Maximum reverse current

5A

10.

Fluid Used

Water

3.4.2 Circuit Diagram

+
MU

LTI
PV CELL
23

ME
TE
R

Figure 3.2 Electrical Circuit Diagram

SPECIFICATIONS

50W,

PVCell

Polycrystalline

CHAPTER 4
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS ON PV COOLING SYSTEM
4.1 WORKING PRINCIPLE
The working principle of all the solar cells is essentially the same. It is
based on the photovoltaic effect. Solar cell is an electrical device that
converts the energy of light directly in to electricity by the photovoltaic
effect. In general the photovoltaic effect means the generation of a potential
difference at the junction of the two different materials in response to visible
or other radiation. The basic processes behind the photovoltaic effect are
24

1. Photons in the sunlight hit the solar panel and are absorbed by semi
conducting materials such as silicon
2. Electrons (negatively charged) are knocked loose from their atoms
causing an electrical potential difference. Current starts flowing through the
material to cancel the potential and this electricity is captured. Due to the
special composition of the solar cells the electrons are only allowed to move
in single direction.
3. An array of solar cell converts solar energy in to a usable amount of
direct current electricity.
In general a solar cell structure consists of an absorber layer in which
the photons of incident radiation are efficiently absorbed resulting in the
creation of electron-hole pairs.
In order to separate the photo generated electrons and holes from each
other, the so-called semi-permeable membranes are attached to the both
sides of the absorber.
The important requirement for the semi-permeable membranes is that
they selectively allow only one type of charge carriers to pass through.
Silicon is the material of prime importance in any technology that is used in
solar panels.
The outer most part of the solar panels is the glass frame in which the
solar cells are enclosed in an array.
The glass used in the solar panels must be highly transparent allowing
an easy penetration of photons in to the embedded frame. Also at the same
time the glass must not be of too brittle in nature because of the safety and
maintenance uses.
4.2 BY APPLYING WATER OVER THE PANEL
Table 4.1.By Applying Water over the Panel

25

VOLTAGE
S.
NO.

TIME
(S)

AMBIENT
TEMPERATURE
(0C)

BEFORE
APPLYING
WATER
(V)

AFTER
APPLYING
WATER
(V)

1.

10.00 am

28.0

20.29

21.16

2.

11.00 am

30.0

20.72

20.85

3.

12.00 pm

31.0

20.17

21.21

4.

01.00 pm

31.5

20.13

21.36

5.

02.00 pm

32.0

20.05

21.50

6.

03.00 pm

30.5

20.28

20.73

22
21.5
21
Output (V)

20.5
20
19.5
19
10.00 am 11.00 am 12.00 pm 01.00 pm 02.00 pm 03.00 pm
Time(S)
Normal

Water

Figure 4.1.By Applying Water over the Panel

26

4.3 BY APPLYING WAX & WATER OVER THE PANEL

Table 4.2.By Applying Wax & Water over the panel
VOLTAGE
S.

TIME

NO

(S)

AMBIENT

BEFORE

AFTER

TEMPERATURE

APPLYING

APPLYING

(0C)

WATER

WATER

(V)

(V)

1.

10.00 am

33.0

21.2

21.7

2.

11.00 am

33.5

20.9

21.7

3.

12.00 pm

34.0

20.8

22.0

4.

01.00 pm

35.9

20.7

22.3

5.

02.00 pm

37.5

20.7

22.3

6.

03.00 pm

35.6

21.1

21.6

7.

04.00 pm

32.2

20.6

20.7

8.

05.00 pm

31.1

20.3

20.4

27

Readings taken at open space with applying wax & water

Table shows the values of different parameters when the solar PV Panel
is placed at open space.

22.5
22
21.5

Output(V)

21

Normal

Wax & Water

20.5
20
19.5

10.00 am

11.00 am

12.00 pm 01.00 pm 02.00 pm 03.00 pm

Time(S)

Figure 4.2 By Applying Wax & Water over the panel

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CHAPTER 5
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
5.1 RESULTS AND COMPARISON
APPLYING WATER, WAX AND WATER OVER THE PANEL
22.5
22
21.5
21
Output(V) 20.5
20
19.5

Time(S)
Water

Wax&Water

Figure 5.1 Output Comparison by Applying Water &

by Applying Wax and Water
29

5.2 DISCUSSION
The power collecting capacity of the solar P-V Panel is greatly reduced
when the panel gets heated up. In our project we concentrated on improving
the power collecting capacity of the solar P-V Panel.
The above said goal is achieved by cooling the panel on its top layer.
This is done by circulating water through pipes on the top surface of the
panel.
When comparing the performance of the panel at normal condition and
modified condition we have found that the power collecting capacity
increases by 16.64%.
5.3 MERITS AND LIMITATIONS
MERITS

Solar energy is a clean and Renewable energy Source.

Pollution Free.
Little Maintenance Required.
Solar powered panels and products are typically extremely easy

to install.
Solar systems have a life span of 30 to 40 years & carry a full
warranty for 20 to 30 years or more.
PV panels have no mechanically moving parts.
LIMITATIONS
As the technology is in an evolving stage, the efficiency levels of
conversion from light to electricity is in the range of 10 to 17%,
depending on the technology used.
Solar energy is heavily dependent on atmospheric conditions.
Solar isolation varies from location to location, so there are
certain geographic limitations in generating solar power.

30

CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSION AND SCOPE FOR FUTURE WORK
CONCLUSION
From the results obtained, it is observed that the power collecting
capacity of the panel is increased at when applying water and also applying
wax & water.
It is found that, by providing the cooling arrangement of applying
water there will be 14.97% increase in power colleting capacity of the panel.
It is found that, by providing the cooling arrangement of applying wax
and water there will be 16.64% increase in power collecting capacity of the
panel.
This increases the scope of renewable methods of producing power in
the field of solar energy. This project will reduce the investment cost on the
conventional power production methodologies to some extent.
SCOPE
In the future, we planned to conduct experiments with different
working fluids such as ammonia, nano-fluids, and other such thermic fluids.

31

On the other hand, working of the solar panel requires only light energy
but not heat. So, we can provide incandescent lamp set up which supplies the
light required for the operation of the panel during the night.

APPENDIX
EXPERIMENTAL SETUP

32

REFERENCES
1.

Alboteanu, L., (2011) Increase Efficiency of Standalone Photovoltaic

Systems by Reducing Temperature of Cells, University of Targu Jiu,
Engineering series, Issue 3, ISSN 1842-4856, pp. 15-25.

2.

Alboteanu, L., (2010) Monitoring Temperature of Photovoltaic

Modules, University of Targu Jiu, Engineering series, Issue 3,
ISSN1842-4856, pp. 15-24.

3.

Alboteanu, L, Ocoleanu, F., Novac, Al., Manolea, Gh.,Remote

monitoring system of the temperature of detachable contacts from
electric cells nrevista Analele Universitatiidin Craiova, seria Inginerie
Electrica, Nr. 34, vol. I, ISSN1842-4805, pp. 184-189. Editura
Universitaria.

4.

Gonzalo C., G., (2009) Heat Transfer in a Photovoltaic Panel, Project

Report, MVK160 Heat and Mass Transport Lund, Sweden

33

5.

Huang B. J., Lin T. H., Hung W. C., Sun S., (2001) Performance
Evaluation of Solar Photovoltaic/Thermal Systems, Solar EnergyVol.
70, No. 5, pp. 443448.

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