Abstract
In this study, performance of a 250 Wp (watt peak) polycrystalline solar cell module was tested by controlling the module temperature with 50 mm thickness Rubitherm RT42 phase change material (PCM) attached at the back of the solar cell module. Solar energy absorbed by the module as heat was transferred to the PCM which was melted when the temperature was higher than its melting point thus the module temperature was reduced and the generated power was increased than that from the normal unit. The enthalpy method was also used to estimate the PCM and the solar cell module temperatures. The generated electrical power from the solar cell module could be evaluated with the module temperature, the solar radiation incidence on the solar cell module and the ambient temperature. It could be found that the simulated results agreed quite well with the experimental data. Under the weather data of Chiang Mai, Thailand for the unit with the PCM, the maximum solar cell module temperature could be decreased from around 73 °C to be 64 °C and the annual average generated electrical energy could be increased 4.3 % compared to that without the PCM.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge to the Research Center for Renewable Energy, Chiang Mai University and the Energy Management of Solar Cell Module with Battery for Air Conditioner in Building under the Development of Alternative Energy Prototypes for Green Communities Project, the National Research Council of Thailand, and Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai University for conducting the experiments facilities and the financial support.
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Vat Sun is a student in the Energy Engineering Program at Chiang Mai University (CMU). His fields of interest are: Solar cell performance enhancement, Numerical calculation in engineering systems and green biofuel production.
Attakorn Asanakham is an Assistant Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. He received his doctoral degree in Energy Engineering from Chiang Mai University. His research interests include energy management, energy efficiency improvement, heat transfer and small particle capture.
Thoranis Deethayat received his Ph.D. from Chiang Mai University, Thailand. He is now working at Chiang Mai University as an Assistant Professor and his research interest is in organic Rankine cycle, biofuels and bioenergy from biomass resources and renewable energy for power cycle.
Tanongkiat Kiatsiriroat achieved his D.Eng. in Energy Technology at Asian Institute of Techology, Thailand in 1987. He is a Professor in Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai University. He has a wide range of experiences in heat recovery systems, heat transfer enhancement, thermal energy storage, solar thermal processes and power generation from biomass/solar energy.
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Sun, V., Asanakham, A., Deethayat, T. et al. Increase of power generation from solar cell module by controlling its module temperature with phase change material. J Mech Sci Technol 34, 2609–2618 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-020-0336-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-020-0336-8