Enhancing the Efficiency of Monocrystalline Photovoltaic Modules through Finned Heat Pipe-Based Cooling: A Performance Analysis

Photovoltaic modules (PVM) are susceptible to temperature fluctuations. Increasing the PVM temperature may affect performance. During operation, a cooling system is required in the PVM to reduce its working temperature and improve its performance. This study aims to investigate a finned heat pipe-based backside cooling system to cool a 120W monocrystalline PVM while maintaining its performance. The research methodology included a one-group uncooled test and a cooled test. The uncooled and cooled PVM tests were subjected to a 14-day testing period. During testing, weather conditions varied between sunny and cloudy. The measurement results showed that the average efficiency increased by 27.8% from 10.1% to 12.9%, the average power output increased by 16.5% from 21.0 W to 24.5 W, and the average temperature decreased by 1.3% from 44.7°C to 44.1°C. Installing the finned heatpipe-based cooling system on the back of a 120 W monocrystalline PVM improves its performance. Due to the simple construction and lack of power consumption, the method has enormous potential as a thermal management system for PVM. This research provides new insights and techniques for cooling PVMs with a 120 W capacity, utilizing heat pipes as cooling systems. Moreover, the cooling system can be applied to other PVM capacities.