Numerical investigation of the thermal performance of PV system under variable wind speeds and ambient temperatures in the tropical climate of Malaysia
Amir Sohail, Mohd Syakirin Rusdi, M.Z. Abdullah, Sakhr M. Sultan
Abstract
This research utilized three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to simulate the fluid flow and thermal behaviour surrounding a standalone monocrystalline silicon PV module. The investigation concentrated on the precise determination of the PV module’s temperature, which is a critical factor that affects its power generation capabilities. The simulations incorporated the absorption of solar energy within the PV cells and systematically evaluated the resulting heat transfer mechanisms. Before conducting the analyses, a detailed mesh refinement study and thorough model validation were undertaken to ensure the precision and credibility of the findings. Our study provides a more detailed analysis of temperature distributions, offering a comprehensive evaluation of PV panel temperature variations, an aspect not thoroughly explored in previous research. A solar panel was positioned at a 15° angle for all cases. The study examined variations in environmental temperature of 300 K, 303 K, and 305 K, and a wind velocity ranging from 0.5 to 6 m/s was considered for all three atmospheric temperature conditions. CFD investigations found that the temperatures of PV modules are greatly affected by the surrounding temperature and air velocities. For a heat flux of 600 W/m 2 , a substantial reduction of 15 °C in temperature was noted for increasing wind velocity from 1 m/s to 3 m/s. Numerical studies showed that raising the wind speed from 0.5 m/s to 4 m/s significantly lowers the temperature of the PV panel; however, any further increases beyond this point have a minimal added impact. These results highlighted how environmental conditions significantly affect PV conversion efficiency and emphasized the need to consider these while optimizing and designing solar systems. • CFD simulations analysed PV module temperature variations and heat transfer. • Increasing wind speed from 1 m/s to 3 m/s reduced PV temperature by 15°C. • Wind speeds above 4 m/s had minimal impact on further cooling effects. • Ambient temperature directly and proportionally affected PV temperature.