Experimental Assessment and Modeling of a Floating Photovoltaic Module with Heat Bridges

Authors

Keywords:

Floating PV Module, Passive Cooling, Thermal electrical performance

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) modules convert part of solar radiation into electrical energy. Another fraction of the incident energy causes an increase of the PV module operating temperature, leading to an electrical performance reduction. In the present paper is proposed the passive cooling of a floating PV (FPV) module using 5 fixed heat bridges to reduce the operating temperature and increase the energy conversion efficiency. The modeling developed for a FPV module operating temperature with heat bridges predicts the cooling capacity of the plant. The proposed model is nonlinear algebraic and equations require iterative numerical solution. Experimental tests allowed to compare thermal and electrical behavior of a FPV module and a rooftop (conventional) PV module, both in Fortaleza, Brazil. The FPV module temperature was 3.2°C lower than the conventional module temperature, on average. The model developed for FPV module with heat bridges may predict its operating temperature with error around 5%. According to the measurements, the FPV module productivity was 26.1% higher than conventional PV module productivity, on average. Thus, the modeling developed is in condition to predict the thermal behavior and prove the effectiveness of passive cooling.

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Author Biographies

Bruna de Oliveira Busson, Federal University of Santa Catarina

Bruna de Oliveira Busson is graduated in Mechanical Engineering at UnB, Brasília, DF, Brazil (2016). MSc. in Mechanical Engineering at UFC, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil (2019). She is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering at UFSC, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.

Leticia de Oliveira Santos, Universidade Federal do Ceará

Leticia de Oliveira Santos Master’s student in Mechanical Engineering at UFC, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. She completed her Physics degree at UFC (2017). She is currently part of the UFC’s Laboratory of Alternative Energies (Laboratório de Energias Alternativas - LEA), working with computer modelling of photovoltaic panels.

Paulo Cesar Marques de Carvalho, Universidade Federal do Ceará

Paulo Cesar Marques de Carvalho is graduated in Eletrical Engineering at UFC, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil (1989); MSc. in Eletrical Engineering at UFPB, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil (1992); Ph.D. in Eletrical Engineering at University of Paderborn, Paderborn, Germany (1997). Currently, he is full professor at Electrical Engineering Department at UFC and receives a CNPq research productivity grant.

Clodoaldo de Oliveira Carvalho Filho, Universidade Federal do Ceará

Clodoaldo de Oliveira Carvalho Filho is graduated in Mechanical Engineering at UFC, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil (1995); MSc. in Mechanical Engineering at UFSC, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil (1998); Ph.D. in Petroleum Sciences and Engineering at UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil (2004). At present, he is professor at Mechanical Engineering Department at UFC.

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Published

2021-05-26

How to Cite

Busson, B. de O., Santos, L. . de O., Carvalho, P. C. M. de, & Carvalho Filho, C. de O. (2021). Experimental Assessment and Modeling of a Floating Photovoltaic Module with Heat Bridges. IEEE Latin America Transactions, 19(12), 2079–2086. Retrieved from https://latamt.ieeer9.org/index.php/transactions/article/view/5104