An experimental setup to study the heat transfer in a photovoltaic module integrated with a phase change material layer

Among cooling technologies being used to improve the electrical efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) modules, phase change materials (PCMs) represent a potential passive cooling application due to their remarkable ability to store substantial amounts of energy in the form of latent enthalpy at nearly constant temperatures when they undergo a phase change. The ma in objective of this research is to provide an experimental setup to compare the heat transfer phenomena in a conventional monofacial PV module with an enhanced one incorporating a solidliquid PCM on the rear side of the PV module (PV-PCM). The experimental evaluations were carried out at the SolarTechLAB of the Politecnico di Milano (Italy) during the hottest summer climatic conditions. An array of weather variables, rear side temperatures and heat fluxes of both PV and PV-PCM modules were monitored alongside their electrical power production. In particular, the observations were used to compare the electrical efficiency and thermal energy storage and release indices in both PV and PV-PCM modules to identify the phase-change effects on PV electrical performance and heat balance at the PV rear side.