Use of Phase Change Materials in Photovoltaic Modules with Solar Concentration Up to 2X

Abstract

Module efficiency depends of the irradiance level and its temperature. Module temperature depends of ambient temperature, irradiance, thermal characteristic of the module, surrounding of the module, and the direction and wind speed. A silicon photovoltaic module improves its efficiency when decreasing its temperature about 0,5%/K. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the possibilities of using phase change materials PCM, to limit the temperature of photovoltaic modules without concentration and with concentration up to 2X and thus increase its performance. We carry out a theoretical study that discusses this potential improvement in different climatic zones characterized by 12 sites. The results show that the use of PCM is a technically feasible alternative to limit the temperature of a photovoltaic module in some climates.