Testing reveals height benefits of floating PV
Scientists have tested the performance of floating PV panels at a height of 800 mm and 250 mm above their floating structures. Their thermal and electrical performance was compared to that of a reference land-based system and the highest panel was found to show the greatest cooling effect.
BIPV concept integrates louvres to enhance power production
Scientists have proposed a building-integrated PV system that integrates airflow to cool the panels and control room temperature. The system, which also acts as a shading device, can reportedly mitigate drops in power generation efficiency without additional energy consumption.
Cooling down solar modules with cotton wicks immersed in water
The novel technique consists of attaching cotton wicks immersed in the water (CWIWs) to the backside photovoltaic module. The water is supplied to cotton wicks from top to bottom by gravity which the scientists said helps the effective absorption of cotton and reduces water consumption.
Cooling PV modules with radiative sky cooling
French scientists have proposed the use of radiative sky cooling as a passive cooling technique to cut PV module temperatures by 10 C. They claim the method could improve performance by more than 5 W/m2.
Parabolic bifacial module with active cooling system
Scientists in Morocco have designed a new bifacial module with a cooling system, based on bifacial parabolic solar cells that are connected to each other via tubes for panel cooling. They are now patenting the tech, but have yet to manufacture an initial prototype.
