Journal of Engineering

journal homepage: www.joe.uobaghdad.edu.iq

Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020

Mechanical and Energy Engineering

Experimental Evaluation of Evaporative Cooling for Enhancing Photovoltaic

Panels Efficiency Using Underground Water
Arwa Mahmood Kadhim Issam Mohamed Ali Aljubury*
Researcher Assistant Professor
College of Engineering, University of Baghdad College of Engineering, University of Baghdad
E-mail: energy81.amk@gmail.com E-mail: drissam@uobaghdad.edu.iq

ABSTRACT
This paper presents an experimental study of cooling photovoltaic (PV) panels using evaporative
cooling. Underground (geothermal energy) water used to extract heat from it during cooling and
cleaning of PV panels. An experimental test rig was constructed and tested under hot and dusty
climate conditions in Baghdad. An active cooling system was used with auxiliary an underground
water tank to provide cold water as a coolant over both PV surfaces to reduce its temperature. The
cellulose pad has been arranged on the back surface and sprays cooling on the front side. Two
identical PV panels modules used: without cooling and evaporative water cooling. The
experiments are comprised of four cases: Case (I): backside cooling, Case (II): front and back
cooling (pump supply water every 35 minutes), Case (III): cooling both sides using Arduino
controller. Water cooling pump operation depending on the panel temperatures (temperature
sensors were installed on the front of the panel), Case (IV): Repeating case III with different water
flow rates. Experimental results showed that the average reduction in module temperatures was 4,
8,12.2 and 12.6 ⁰C respectively by Case (I), (II), (III) and (IV) with respect to a non-cooling
module. Using evaporative water cooling achieved a total improvement of 1.74%, 2.8%, 15.8%,
and 16% in the conversion efficiency of the panel by the Case (I), (II), (III) and (IV) respectively
when compared to a non-cooling module.
Keywords: Solar Photovoltaic Cooling; Evaporative Cooling; Geothermal Energy; Solar
Photovoltaic Cleaning.

*Corresponding author
Peer review under the responsibility of University of Baghdad.
https://doi.org/10.31026/j.eng.2020.08.02
2520-3339 © 2019 University of Baghdad. Production and hosting by Journal of Engineering.
This is an open access article under the CC BY4 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by /4.0/).
Article received: 13/12/2019
Article accepted:6/4/2020
Article published:1/8/2020

14
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

‫التقييم التجريبي للتبريد التبخيري لتعزيز كفاءة األلواح الضوئية باستخدام المياه الجوفية‬
‫عصام محمد علي‬ ‫اروى محمود كاظم‬
‫أستاذ مساعد‬ ‫باحث‬
‫كلية الهندسة‬,‫جامعة بغداد‬ ‫كلية الهندسة‬,‫جامعة بغداد‬

‫الخالصة‬
‫ استخدمت المياه الجوفية (الطاقة الحرارية‬.‫تقدم هذه الورقة دراسة تجريبية لتبريد األلواح الكهروضوئية باستخدام التبريد التبخيري‬
‫ تم بناء منظومة اختبار تجريبية واختبارها‬.‫األرضية) في استخالص الحرارة من األلواح الكهروضوئية أثناء التبريد وتنظيفها‬
‫استخدم نظام تبريد نشط مع خزان مياه تحت األرض لتوفير الماء البارد لتبريد‬.‫في ظل ظروف المناخ الحار والغبار في بغداد‬
‫ تم ترتيب وسادة السليلوز على السطح الخلفي وتبريد الرش على الجانب‬.‫كال السطوح الكهروضوئية وتقليل درجة حرارتها‬
‫ تتضمن التجارب أربع‬.‫ بدون تبريد وتبريد بالماء التبخيري‬:‫ اثنين من وحدات األلواح الكهروضوئية المتطابقة استخدمت‬.‫األمامي‬
‫ تبريد‬:)III( ‫ الحالة‬، )‫ دقيقة‬35 ‫ تبريد أمامي وخلفي (المضخة تزود الماء كل‬:)II( ‫ الحالة‬، ‫ التبريد الخلفي‬:)I( ‫ الحالة‬:‫حاالت‬
‫كال الجانبين باستخدام جهاز التحكم االردوينو الذي يشغيل مضخة مياه التبريد حسب درجة حرارة اللوحة (تم تثبيت أجهزة‬
‫ أظهرت النتائج التجريبية‬.‫ بمعدالت تدفق مياه مختلفة‬III ‫ حالة التكرار‬:)IV( ‫ الحالة‬، )‫استشعار درجة الحرارة في مقدمة اللوحة‬
‫) و‬II( ‫) و‬I( ‫ درجة مئوية على التوالي حسب الحالة‬12.6 ‫ و‬12.2‫و‬8 ‫ و‬4 ‫أن متوسط التخفيض في درجات حرارة اللوحة كان‬
‫ و‬٪2.8 ‫ و‬٪1.74 ‫ حقق استخدام التبريد بالماء التبخيري تحسنًا إجماليًا قدره‬.‫) بالمقارنة مع اللوحة بدون تبريد‬IV( ‫) و‬III(
.‫) على التوالي بالمقارنة مع اللوحة بدون تبريد‬IV( ‫) و‬III( ‫) و‬II( ‫ و‬Case (I) ‫ في كفاءة تحويل اللوحة بواسطة‬٪16 ‫ و‬٪15.8
.‫ تنظيف الخاليا الشمسية‬,‫ الطاقة الحرارية األرضية‬,‫ التبريد التبخيري‬, ‫ تبريد االلواح الكهروضوئية‬:‫الكلمات الرئيسية‬
1.INTRODUCTION
Energy consumption is one of the key factors that contribute directly to enhancing the standards
of human living. Therefore, tireless efforts have been attempted to achieve this goal. Many energy
forms are available on our earth, such as geothermal, solar, hydro, wind, tidal, oil, natural gases,
coal, and other fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are the dominant source to meet energy requirements.
However, the consumption of fossil fuels has increased dramatically, leading to depleting the fossil
fuel reserves and climate change severe impact. Therefore, natural and renewable energy resources
are a viable way to provide clean energy. The sun is the main energy source in the world. Solar
panels are one of the promising methods to utilize this energy. In the last two decades, the increase
in PV cell efficiency and the relative reduction in price mainly contributed to increasing the
installation percentage of solar photovoltaic (PV) panel systems. French scientist Edmond
Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect in 1839. This effect firstly utilized by Charles Fritts
to make the first solar cell with an efficiency of about (1-2)% in 1883 (Satpute and Rajan, 2018).
Nowadays, different types of solar cells are available. The common type is silicon semiconductors
with an efficiency falls between 14%-17% (Ahmad et al., 2018). Practically, PV cell converts
some fraction of solar irradiance (15%-20%) into electrical power. At the same time, the remainder
is released by reflection (re-radiation or convection) or conversion into heat, leading to an increase
in the temperature of PV cells more than the standard test conditions (STC). The STC is 1000
W/m2 and 25 °C (Schiro et al., 2017).
The temperature of the PV cell is the main parameter used to assess its performance. The reduction
in efficiency can be attributed to the rise in PV cell temperature more than the standard test
conditions. Overheating may also cause damage to adhesive seals, delamination, and non-
homogeneous temperatures (hot spots). Practically, the installation of solar PV panels in tropical
and hot climate countries requires the use of cooling techniques to keep the temperature of the PV
panel close to the standard condition (25oC) (Fatoni et al., 2019).

15
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

The efficiency of PV panels is based on the standard test temperature of 25oC. However, the high
solar incident will increase the temperature of the PV panels, and that will decrease the efficiency
of the PV. Every increase in temperature by 1°C corresponds to the decrease in efficiency by 0.5%
(Ahmad et al., 2018). Moreover, the high temperature of a solar cell for a long time also shortens
its service life. Therefore, to achieve both higher PV efficiency and higher electrical output, the
PV must be cooled by removing the heat in some way. Therefore, to cool the cells in the PV
system, a photovoltaic panel is integrated with a cooling system. Cooling of the PV improves
efficiency, and heat can be used in space heating or for drying systems and moreover, it is less
costly than two separate units.
Cooling the panels using a suitable cooling method helps to tackle this problem partially. This
would help to improve the efficiency and power output. Many cooling techniques were proposed
to cool the PV panels and enhance their electrical performance. This includes active and passive
cooling with different cooling media (Nižetić et al., 2016).
The commonly used cooling methods are air and water methods. Air cooling requires less energy
than water cooling, but its cooling capacity is mediocre. Conversely, water has better cooling
capability than air, but its equipment costs are usually higher than air cooling (Yang et al., 2019).
The spray water cooling technique has proved its ability to improve PV panel electrical power
output (Nižetić et al., 2016). Other benefits reported with this technique, are when used on the cell
front surface, remove dust and dirt from the cell and reduce reflected radiation by forming a thin
layer of water, which in turn helps to improve cell efficiency (Raval et al., 2014).
The evaporative PV panel water cooling technique is using a cellulose pad, which saturated by
water through a perforated tube. This type of cooling system dissipates heat due to evaporation of
water from the back surface of the PV panel. This method is easy to implement, quiet with low
pumping capacity, availability of components in the domestic market, and low cost and
maintenance (IA. Hasan and S. R. Fafraj, 2017).
Dust deposition is one of the challenges facing the installation of solar PV systems under tropical
weather conditions. The loss of performance due to the accumulation of dust depends on the
accumulated dust particles, chemical composition, size, and density (Said et al., 2018).
The variation in the accumulation of dust largely depends on other weather conditions such as
temperature, rainfall, wind, and any other climatic events that occur during the experiment. The
orientation and tilt angle of the PV surface affects the deposition of dust particles, i.e., increasing
the tilt angle generally promotes the removal of dust due to gravity (Hachicha et al., 2019).
It was found that the gradual accumulation of dust over a period of eight weeks decreased the
spectral transmissivity of the glass from 91% to 46.09%, and reduced its electrical output by
44.16% and COP by 8.53% under the conditions tested. the working temperature of the cell
decreases for a given atmospheric environment, while the glazing temperature increases with the
accumulation of dust (Vaishak and Bhale, 2019).

2. A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS PV COOLING RESEARCH FINDINGS

(Abdelrahman et al., 2013) developed a cooling system to improve the efficiency of the
photovoltaic PV panels. Three types of cooling systems were used in the experimental work: film
water, direct contact backwater, and combining film-back cooling. The distribution of the panel
surface temperatures was obtained by using the infrared camera. Experimental results showed an
increase of 22%, 29.8%, and 35% in the daily output power was noted in the mentioned three
cooling methods when compared to the non-cooling module.

16
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

An attempt was made by (Moharram et al., 2013) to reduce the amount of water and electrical
energy required for the cooling of the solar panels, especially in hottest regions. A mathematical
model was used to determine the heating rate of the PV panels and at what maximum allowable
temperature 45oC to start cooling, as well as a cooling rate model to define the duration of cooling
to reach the normal operating temperature (35 ⁰C). The two models were validated experimentally
and showed that the maximum PV panel yield was obtained at the maximum allowable
temperature.
The increase of PV cell operating temperature during absorption of solar radiation is an
unfavorable condition as it will cause a reduction in the electrical efficiency of the PV. In order to
avoid that, the cooling of the PV cell is required. The cooling technique was investigated using an
absorption sponge fixed on the backside of the photovoltaic panel by (Musthafa, 2015). The
experimental results from this novel technique found a direct relationship between efficiency and
temperature. The solar cell had an efficiency of 8–9% without cooling, but when it operated under
the cooling system, a 12% increase in the efficiency of solar cells was achieved when the
temperature dropped by 40oC.
In combination with cotton wicks, a passive thermal regulation technique is developed (Chandr
asekar and Senthilkumar, 2015) to regulate the PV module temperature during its operation.
The thermal and electrical output of the thermally regulated solar PV module was also compared
with the results of the non-cooling solar PV module. The temperature of the PV module had been
reduced by 12%, while the electrical output was increased by 14% by the effect of this cooling
system. The basic energy balance formula applicable to the PV module was used to determine the
coefficient of thermal loss that was found to increase in moist cotton wicks due to the finite effect
of the heat spreader and evaporative cooling.
The PV module operating temperature has a significant effect on the PV module performance, the
output of four modules was investigated and compared: mono-crystalline silicon, poly-crystalline
silicon, amorphous silicon, and copper indium gallium di-selenide under Baghdad’s climate
conditions (E. Hashim, 2016). The experimental results showed that the temperature increase led
to a slight increase in the short circuit current and a greater decrease in the open-circuit voltage,
leading to a decrease in the output power of the modules. Amorphous silicon was suitable for high
operating temperatures but had the lowest efficiency of conversion among the four modules.
One of the problems with the use of the solar PV system in Iraq is the impact of dust deposition
on the surface of PV panels. This problem was investigated by (Hashim, 2016) during June, July,
August, October, and September with fixed solar PV panel and different inclination (15,33,45,60)⁰.
Results showed that the highest tilt angle (60⁰) resulted in the highest average performance of the
panel, which was 7.4%, 6.7%, 8.0%, 8.1%, and 8.4% for the corresponding months; June, July,
August, October, and September.
An alternative technique was proposed and studied the application of water spray over panel
surfaces (both sides of the PV panel being cooled simultaneously) to investigate the total water
spray cooling effect on the PV panel performance in circumstances of peak solar irradiation under
a Mediterranean climate (Nižetić et al., 2016). Results indicated that this cooling technique
achieved an increase in electric power output of about 16.3% (effective 7.7%) and in PV panel
electrical efficiency of about 14.1% (effective 5.9%) as well as reducing the average panel
temperature by about 30oC. Furthermore, another advantage of this new cooling technique is its
self-cleaning effect, which made it more economical.
Two types of cooling, continuous cooling, and cooling every one hour were conducted, and the
results from these two techniques were compared with those obtained from a non-cooling
17
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

photovoltaic panel system (Sukarno et al., 2017). The output power of the continuous cooling
panel, cooling every one-hour panel, and without cooling panel was 68.8 W, 65.11 W, and 59.06
W, respectively, and the efficiency was 16.7%, 14.4%, and 13%. In conclusion, the output power
of the continuous cooling panel was higher than that without cooling.
A novel method to cool the photovoltaic PV panel by a cellulose pad arrangement was carried out
(IA. Hasan, S. R. Fafraj, 2017). The cellulose pad was saturated with water and placed at the
back surface of the panel. This cooling technique caused a reduction in the average panel
temperature of about 10.1oC and led to an increase in panel efficiency of about 20.7%. The low
costs of the cellulose pad gave additional economic features to that method.
(Haidar et al., 2018) experimentally investigated the effect of evaporative cooling of solar
photovoltaic (PV) panel efficiency. The PV panel back surface was wetted and exposed to
surrounding. Water tank supplied by gravity to the back surface of the PV. Results show that
temperature reduction more than 20 °C in the PV panel and around 14% increment in electrical
efficiency were achieved compared with an uncooled PV panel.
An alternative method to solve the problem of accumulated dust and dirt on the panels used an
automatic cleaning system (spray mechanism), which cleaned the PV panel automatically using
a timer ( B, Manju, et al., 2018).
An inverse proportion between temperature and panel power was noticed (Zilli et al., 2018), the
effects of temperature and the solar radiation on the PV panel power was further examined using
simulation by PSIM and MATLAB programs.
A cooling system using shallow-geothermal energy to enhance the photovoltaic PV panel
efficiency was investigated (Yang et al., 2019). The experiments involved three stages: Panel
operated without a cooling system, the cooling system used to cool the panel, but without a UBHE,
the cooling system was operated with a UBHE. Experimental results and mathematical models
proved that the system with a UBHE could cool the PV panel more effectively than the system
without a UBHE. Consequently, this improved the panel conversion efficiency by 14.3% under
1000 W/m2 of solar radiation and when ten panels were used.
The current study will investigate the utilization of active spray and evaporative cooling
techniques to control the temperature rise of PV modules that occur due to the absorption of solar
irradiance. The method involves incorporating a spray nozzle and cellulose pad to the back of
the module and allowing a thin film of water to evaporate, and thus reducing the module
temperature.
3. THE EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
In this research, two photovoltaic PV panels were used, one of them was cooled by evaporative
cooling techniques, and the other was left without cooling for comparison (as a standard case),
Table 1. The Photovoltaic PV Panel Specifications show the photovoltaic PV panels specifications
at standard test conditions (T=25oC, R=1000 W/m2, and AM=1.5).

18
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

Table 1. The Photovoltaic PV Panel Specifications.

Parameter Value
Pm 50W
Im 2.9A
Vm 17.2V
Isc 3.25A
Voc 21.8V
Weight 6Kg
Dimension (845×545×35) mm

The two identical PV panels where: First is the panel without cooling, and second is the panel with
an evaporative water technique. The two PV panels were installed on an inclined supporting
structure, which allows water runoff through gravitational force.
A cellulose pad has been arranged on the back surface of the PV panel, which was saturated with
water from the small reservoir by a small water pump through a perforated pipe in the top of the
back surface of the panel. A small reservoir was filled with cold water from the underground tank
by a submersible water pump (50LPM, (5-13) m high, and 0.4kW), four water nozzles were
installed on the front surface of PV panel. A water flow sensor (30LPM) was used to measure the
water flow rate and six temperature sensors (DS18B20) on the PV panel to measure the
temperature. Five of them on the back surface and one on the front surface, as shown in

Figure 1. Outdoor Experimental Setup.

Two types of small water pumps were used. (I) 1000LPH, 1.8m, and 25W and (II) 2000LPH, 2.5m,
and 70W for pumping water from the small reservoir to cool the PV panel. A temperature sensor
placed inside the small reservoir to measure the water temperature inside the reservoir. Glass wool
was used to insulate the small reservoir to keep the water inside it cold. The water flow in a closed
circuit, the drain was collected and sent back to the underground tank by gravity, Fig.2 and Fig.3.

19
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

Temperature
Sensor Perforated
Nozzle Pipe

T7
Solar PV
Panel Water Flow
Sensor

DC Light

Drain Sink
Arduino Box
Electrical
Circuit Box
Small
Reservoir
Pipe

Small Water
Pump
Submersible
Water Pump

Underground Water Tank

Figure 2. Front View of the Cooled PV Panel.

Perforated Cellulose
Pipe Pad
Solar PV
Panel Temperature
T4 T1 Sensor

T5

DC Light Water Flow

T3 T2
Sensor

Drain Sink
Arduino Box
Electrical
Circuit Box
Small
Reservoir

T6

Pipe

Submersible Water Small Water

Pump Pump

Underground Water Tank

Figure 3. Back View of the Cooled PV Panel.

20
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

The readings were recorded using the Arduino system (Arduino Mega 2560) for five days in
each of May, June, July, and August in 2019, and as follows:

 The first day: The readings were recorded without using the cooling technique.
 Second day: Case (I), the readings were recorded using a cooling technique on the back
surface of the PV panel only with a maximum water flow rate. The small water pump (I),
with the use of a special program, was switched on for 2 minutes every 35 minutes.
 Third day: Case (II), repeat the procedure of the second day with cooling technique and
maximum water flow rate divided onto the front and back sides of the PV panel.
 Fourth day: Case (III), where the small water pump (I) switched ON depending on the
reading of temperature sensors on the front surfaces of the PV panels, it pumped the
maximum water flow when the temperature sensor reading exceeds 45 °C and vice versa.
 Fifth day: Case (IV); the procedure of the fourth day was repeated with a minimum water
flow rate using a small water pump (II).
In all cases, in this paper, the cooling water was supplied from a buried underground tank,
which helped to keep the temperature of the cooling water at approximately equal 18.5 ⁰C lower
than the daily ambient temperature on average.

4. UNCERTAINTIES IN EXPERIMENTAL DATA

The accuracy of the instrumentation and the human error readings caused uncertainties for any
parameter in the measured data. Error! Reference source not found. described the uncertainty
values of different dependent and independent parameters.
Table 2. Uncertainty of the Operating Parameters.

Parameters Range Resolution or Accuracy

Sensitivity
DS18B20 -55 to 125°C (- / ±0.5°C
Temperature sensor 67°F to +257°F)
Voltage Sensor DC0‐25 V 0.00489 V /
Acs 712 DC -5A~ 5A 180mV/A
Current Sensor 5A ~190mV/A,
Typical:
185mV/A.
Digital Relative humidity 0- humidity: humidity +-
Humidity and 100%RH; 0.1%RH; 2%RH (Max +-
Temperature temperature - temperature 5%RH);
Sensor 40~80Celsius 0.1Celsius temperature +-
0.5Celsius.
1～30 L/min. / /
Water Flow Sensor

Wind Speed Sensor 0.5m/s to 50m/s 0.1m/s Worst case 1

meter/s
solar power meter 2000 W/m2 0.1 W/ m2 The greater of
±10 W/ m2

21
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Environmental parameters strongly affect the operating performance of the PV panel. Also, solar
radiation and ambient temperature affect the efficiency of PV panels as well as their operating
temperature.
Fig.4 shows the average global radiation for the months: May, June, July, and August in 2019.
Generally, the range of solar radiation is (600-1000) W/m2 in the high-level irradiation period
through these months. The maximum value of the global radiation recorded through the four
months was 1081 W/m2 at (12:00 am) on the 17th day of August 2019, whereas the highest average
global radiation was 1045.25 W/m2 at (12:00 am). It is clear that there is a direct relation between
electrical power and the efficiency of the module with solar radiation. The average electrical power
of the uncooled panel was 36 W, and the average efficiency was 7.47% during the recording of
the measurements at solar noon (12:00 pm to 2:00 pm).
Pm = Im * Vm (1)
E = (Pm / (A * R)) *100% (2)

1100
The Average Solar Radiation
for 4 Months
from May to August in 2019
1000

900
Radiation (W/m2)

800

700

600

500

400
-- 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00

Time (hr)

Figure 4. The Average Solar Radiation of the 4 Months from May to August in 2019.

The average ambient temperature of the air at the same months, from (9:00 am) to (4:00 pm) are
shown in Fig.5. Although the maximum temperature occurs at solar noon depending on the
radiation, it was noticed that the highest average temperature (56.4⁰C) observed at 2 pm. This is
the result of surrounding materials absorbing radiation during the day and radiating it later, which
led to the deviation of the peak to 2 pm.

22
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

60 Average ambient Temperature

Ambient Temperature(oC)
for the 4 months
from May to August in 2019

55

50

45

40

09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00

Time(hr)

Figure 5. The Average Ambient Temperature for the 4 Months from May to August in 2019.
It is well known that the PV panel is made of semi-conductive materials. This means that a large
portion of the absorbed radiation will cause an increase in the PV panel temperature. According to
readings on the 2nd day of May, it can be observed that the average temperature of the cooled panel
was (61.5 ⁰C) without cooling, i.e., higher than the reference panel (uncooled panel) which was
(54 ⁰C) as shown in Fig.6. The placing of cellulose pad on the back surface of the PV panel without
wetting prevent convective heat transfer from it and therefore causing an increase by about seven
⁰C above the temperature of the uncooled panel.

75 Cooled Panel
Uncooled Panel
70
Temperature (oC)

65
60
55
50
45
40
35
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00
Time (hr)

Figure 6.The Temperatures of Photovoltaic (PV) Panels without Cooling on the 2 nd day in May
in 2019.
Fig.7 shows the temperatures of PV panels without cooling and after removing the cellulose pad
from the pack of the cooled panel. It’s clear that the temperatures of the two PV panels increased
gradually from 9:00 am and reached the maximum temperature of about 57 οC at 12:15. Also, there
was a slight difference due to a number of reasons, including the operational duration of the panels,
and the effects of the surrounding.

23
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

60
Uncooled Panel

Temperature (oC)
55
Cooled Panel
50
45
40
35
30
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00
Time (hr)

Figure 7. Temperatures of Photovoltaic (PV) Panels Without Cooling Techniques and Without
Packaging of the Cooling Panel on the 3rd Day in May in 2019.

5.1 PV Panels with Cooling Techniques Case (I)

Fig.8 (a, b, c, and d) shows the PV panels temperature of case (I) from May to August. It’s clear
that the uncooled PV panel has the highest temperature compared with the cooling panel. The
maximum uncooled PV panel temperature ranged from (61.3-68.3) ⁰C through the interval of
maximum solar radiation, i.e., from (12:00 to 2:00) pm. The sudden drop in temperatures of the
two PV panels shown in Fig.12 (a and b) at 1:55 pm and at 12:25 pm, respectively, is due to a
shadow of a partial cloud. During the measurements, the average wind speed equal to 2.5 m/s.
Each temperature curve in the four figures is the result of the average measurements of five
temperature sensors on the back surface of the PV panel. The average temperature of the uncooled
PV panel was 60.8 ⁰C. At the same time, the average temperature of the cooled PV panel (with
maximum water flow rate 5 LPM) decreased about four ⁰C compared with the uncooled PV panel.
In this case of comparison with the uncooled PV panel, the applied cooling technique improved
the power of the PV panel by 1.6% and enhanced its efficiency by 1.7%.
Eimproved = ((Ewithcooling - Ewithoutcooling)/ Ewithoutcooling)*100% (3)

65
Uncooled Panel
Temperature (oC)

60
Cooled Panel
55
50
45
40
35
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00
Time (hr)
a. Temperatures of PV Panels Case (I) on 8th in May
70
Uncooled Panel
Temperature (oC)

65 Cooled Panel
60
55
50
45
40
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00
Time (hr)

b. Temperatures of PV Panels Case (I) on 16th in June

24
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

75
70 Uncooled Panel

Temperature (oC)
Cooled Panel
65
60
55
50
45
40
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00
Time (hr)

c. Temperatures of PV Panels Case (I) on 24th in July

75
Temperature (oC)

70 Uncooled Panel
65 Cooled Panel

60
55
50
45
40
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00
Time (hr)
d. Temperatures of PV Panels Case (I) on 17th in August
Figure 8. Relationship between the PV panel temperatures during different months for Case (I).

5.2 Photovoltaic (PV) Panels with Cooling Techniques Case (II)

The cooling system was run to take the readings of case (II), with sunny weather through the four
months (May, June, July, and August) as shown in Fig.9 (a, b, c, and d) with an average wind
speed for about 2.8 m/s. For these months, the maximum temperature of the uncooled PV panel
varied from (63.4 ⁰C to 66.2 ⁰C) at solar noon. In this case, it is obvious that the temperature
fluctuation of the cooled panel is due to Arduino’s control of the water pump (I) by means of front
water spray cooling. This case showed clearly the effect of cooling and cleaning the PV panels on
their performance, with a maximum water flow rate divided into both sides, 5 LPM for cooled
panel. In comparison to the average temperature of the uncooled PV panel, which was 63.2 ⁰C, the
cooling of both front and backside of the cooled PV panel reduced its average temperature to 55.2
⁰C (about 8 ⁰C). Throughout this case, the power of cooled PV panel increased by about 2.7% and
its conversion efficiency by about 2.8%.

70
65 Uncooled Panel
Temperature (oC)

Cooled Panel
60
55
50
45
40
35
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00
Time (hr)

a. Temperatures of PV Panels Case (II) on 14th in May

25
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

75
Uncooled Panel

Temperature (oC)
70
Cooled Panel
65
60
55
50
45
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00
Time (hr)

b. Temperatures of PV Panels Case (II) on 19th in June

75
Uncooled Panel
70
Temperature (oC)

Cooled Panel
65
60
55
50
45
40
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00
Time (hr)
c. Temperatures of PV Panels Case (II) on 23th in July
80
Uncooled Panel
75
Temperature (oC)

Cooled Panel
70
65
60
55
50
45
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00
Time (hr)

d. Temperatures of PV Panels Case (II) on 19th in August

Figure 9. Relationship between the PV panel temperatures during different months for Case (II).

5.3 PV Panels with Cooling Techniques Case (III)

The readings, in this case, were taken during the four months from May to August in 2019 as
shown in Fig.10 (a, b, c, and d) The maximum temperature of uncooled PV panel ranged from
60.7 ⁰C to 67.8 ⁰C at solar noon. This case increased the cooling effect of the cooled PV panel and
maintained its back temperature at around 45 ⁰C.
With an average wind speed of about 3.2 m/s, the effect of water cooling on both sides of the PV
panel combined with the maximum water flow rate 5 LPM, resulted in a rapid drop in the average
temperatures of the cooled PV panel by about 12.2 ⁰C compared to the average temperature of
uncooled PV panel which measured temperature about 64.25⁰C. The experimental results from
this case show that the power of the cooled PV panel improved by 15.6% and its efficiency by
15.8%.
70
65 Uncooled Panel
Temperature (oC)

60 Cooled Panel
55
50
45
40
35
30
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00

Time (hr)
a. Temperatures of PV Panels Case (III) on 27th in May

26
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

70
65 Uncooled Panel

Temperature (oC)
Cooled Panel
60
55
50
45
40
35
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00

Time (hr)
b. Temperatures of PV Panels Case (III) on 22nd in June
70
Temperature (oC)

Uncooled Panel
65 Cooled Panel
60
55
50
45
40
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00

Time (hr)

c. Temperatures of PV Panels Case (III) on 25th in July

70
Temperature (oC)

65 Uncooled Panel
60 Cooled Panel
55
50
45
40
35
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00

Time (hr)

d. Temperatures of PV Panels Case (III) on 20th in August

Figure 10. Average Temperatures of Photovoltaic PV Panels Case (III).

5.4 PV Panels with Cooling Techniques Case (IV)

In Case (IV), the system was run in sunny weather and average wind speed of about 3.2 m/s, as
shown in Fig.11 (a, b, c, and d). The readings were recorded when the water-cooling technique
applied on both sides of the cooled PV panel with the lowest water flow rate 3.5 LPM. The
maximum temperature of the uncooled PV panel was ranged from 66.7 ⁰C to 73 ⁰C for the months
(May, June, July, and August). The results showed that the average temperature of the cooled PV
panel B decreased to 48.6 ⁰C (a reduction of about 12.6 ⁰C from the average temperature of the
uncooled PV panel, which was 61.2 ⁰C. The conditions used in this case increased the power of
the cooled panel and its efficiency by 16%.
In general, case (IV) provided maximum average output power 41.78 W for the cooled PV panel
compared with the uncooled PV panel 36 W at solar noon from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm, among other
cases, the performance of PV panels, in this case, illustrated in Fig. 12-14.
As shown in Fig.12, this decreased temperature resulted in an increase in PV power output with a
minimum water flow rate of 3.5 LPM. The maximum average output current of cooled and
uncooled PV panels was 2.45 A and 2.3 A, respectively, as shown in Fig.13, while the maximum
average voltage of them was 18 V, and 17 V respectively, as shown in Fig.14 at solar noon.

27
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

70
65 Uncooled Panel

Temperature (oC)
60 Cooled Panel
55
50
45
40
35
30
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00
Time (hr)

a: Temperatures of Panels Case (IV) on 30th in May

75
Uncooled Panel
Temperature (oC)

70
Cooled Panel
65
60
55
50
45
40
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00

Time (hr)

b: Temperatures of Panels Case (IV) on 21st in June

75
Uncooled Panel
Temperature (oC)

70
Cooled Panel
65
60
55
50
45
40
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00

Time (hr)

c: Temperatures of Panels Case (IV) on 26th in July

75
70 Uncooled Panel
Temperature (oC)

65 Cooled Panel
60
55
50
45
40
35
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00

Time (hr)

d: Temperatures of Panels Case (IV) on 21st in August

Figure 11. Average Temperatures of Photovoltaic PV Panels Case (IV).

28
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

50
Cooled Panel
40 Uncooled Panel

Power (W)
30
20
10
0
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00

Time (hr)

Figure 12. Average Panels Power of Case (IV) for four Months in 2019.
2.5 Cooled Panel
Current (A)

Uncooled Panel
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5

09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00

Time (hr)

Figure 13. Average Panels Current of Case (IV) for four Months in 2019.
19 Cooled Panel
18
Voltage (V)

Uncooled Panel
17
16
15
14
13
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00

Time (hr)

Figure 14. Average Panels Voltage of Case (IV) for four Months in 2019.
The operation of the water pump (II), in this case, depends on the reading of the temperature sensor
placed on the front surface of the panel. Since this sensor was not isolated from the surrounding,
unlike other sensors, so it read the average temperature between the surrounding and the front
surface of the panel. Monitoring and maintaining the temperature of this sensor at 45 oC by the
control of the Arduino has reduced the average temperature of the back surface of the cooled PV
panel to 48.6oC.
The evaporative water cooling is characterized by low cost, easy implementation, the availability
of components in the market, and the little power consumption. The feasibility of the evaporative
water-cooling technique proves in Table 3, between different cases of water cooling. The best case
is case IV, in which the greater drop in the temperature of the PV panel was achieved for about
12.6 ⁰C resulting in an improvement in electrical efficiency to 8.67%.

29
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

Table 3. Performance Parameters for cooled PV Panel for Different Experimented Cooling
Circumstances.
Maximal Improvement Average Electrical Improvement
Case power in power Panel Efficiency% in Electrical
output(W) output% temperature Efficiency%
reduction(oC)
Without cooling 36 / / 7.47 /
Cooling of case (I) 36.59 1.6 4 7.6 1.74
Cooling of case (II) 37 2.7 8 7.68 2.8

Cooling of case(III) 41.63 15.6 12.2 8.65 15.8

Cooling of case(IV) 41.78 16 12.6 8.67 16

Fig.15 shows the performance response of the PV panels at the peak of solar irradiation in different
cases, the highest column between the four cases is in case IV, which improves the electrical
efficiency and output power of the PV panel by 16%. Similar to it is case III with slight deference
in electrical efficiency of about 0.2 % and output power of 0.4%. The next is case II which is about
13% in electrical efficiency and 12.9% in output power less than case III. Lastly, case I is less case
II about 1.06% in electrical efficiency and 1.1% in output power.

Figure 15. Experimental Performance of Cooled Panel through Four Cases.

Although pumping water, in this case, was the least among the other cases, yet it was the best since
the cellulose pad was allowed to saturate more with water, and this enhanced the evaporation. In
case (I) and (II) the total working time of the water pump (I) was 24 minutes from 9:00 am to 4:00
pm, and this helps to reduce the consumption of the electrical energy and no damages to the water
pump.

30
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

6. CONCLUSIONS
In this research, the experiments were conducted “with and without cooling of the PV panels”
during May, June, July, and August 2019. An increase in the absorption of solar radiation will
increase the panel’s temperature, and that will cause a decrease in the panel’s conversion
efficiency.
The analysis of the experimental results demonstrates that:
1. Water cooling techniques proved their ability to reduce PV panel’s temperature, more than
10oC by evaporative water cooling.
2. The use of the evaporative water technique as a cooling system improves both the power
and efficiency of the panel by about 16%.
3. The heat transfers between the PV panel and cooling system was increased with the lowest
water flow rate of 3.5 LPM, in the case of the front temperature sensor and lower inlet
water temperature.
4. The high wind speed enhances the evaporation rate as well as the heat transfers by
convection.
5. The dust accumulated on the panels forms a layer that reduces the absorption of solar
radiation and raises the panel temperature. The design of the system proposed in this
research contributes to resolving this problem by using the nozzles in the front surface of
the panel to clean and remove this layer of dust.
6. The design of the system proposed can be used to cool and clean the PV panels in the
tropical region.

7. RECOMMENDATIONS
1. The mathematical model can be used to calculate the panel’s temperature and power and
compare results with experimental results from simulate work.
2. Engineering programs such as COMSOL can be used to simulate panel temperature and
solar radiation.
3. In addition to the experimental results obtained when cellulose pad is used, further
experiments can be done on C panel using other types of materials, such as sponge or
cotton, and compare the results.
4. Hot outlet water can be used, after cooling the panels, in a domestic application.
5. Water from well can be used instead of the water from underground tank.
6. Added high-capacity storage batteries and an inverter to the system to provide electricity
when it becomes dark, therefor the PV panel electrical output power can be used in
household appliances and equipment. This can be very useful in remote areas where there
is no alternative to other energy sources.

NOMENCLATURE
A =Area ,m2
AM =Air Mass , Dimensionless
E =Efficiency ,%
Im =Maximum Current ,A
Isc =Short Circuit Current ,A
Pm =Maximum Power ,W
R =Sun Radiation , W/m2
31
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

T =Cell Temperature , °C
Vm =Maximum Voltage ,V
Voc =Open Circuit Voltage ,V

REFERENCES
 Abdelrahman, M., A. Eliwa, and O. E. Abdellatif, 2013. “Experimental Investigation of
Different Cooling Methods for Photovoltaic Module.” 11th International Energy
Conversion Engineering Conference, July. https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2013-4096.
 Ahmad, Nasser, Amith Khandakar, Amir El-Tayeb, Kamel Benhmed, Atif Iqbal, and
Farid Touati, 2018. “Novel Design for Thermal Management of PV Cells in Harsh
Environmental Conditions.” Energies 11 (11): 3231. https://doi.org/10.3390/en11113231.
 B, Manju, Abdul Bari, and Pavan C M., 2018. “Automatic Solar Panel Cleaning System.”
International Journal of Advances in Scientific Research and Engineering 4 (7): 26–31.
https://doi.org/10.31695/ijasre.2018.32778.
 Chandrasekar, M., and T. Senthilkumar, 2015. “Experimental Demonstration of
Enhanced Solar Energy Utilization in Flat PV (Photovoltaic) Modules Cooled by Heat
Spreaders in Conjunction with Cotton Wick Structures.” Energy 90: 1401–10.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2015.06.074.
 E.Hashim, A.Abood, 2016. “Temperature Effect on Power Drop of Different
Photovoltaic Modules.” Journal of Engineering 22 (5).
 Fatoni, Efsilon K.A., Ahmad Taqwa, and Rd Kusumanto, 2019. “Solar Panel
Performance Improvement Using Heatsink Fan as the Cooling Effect.” Journal of
Physics: Conference Series 1167 (1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1167/1/012031.
 Hachicha, Ahmed Amine, Israa Al-Sawafta, and Zafar Said, 2019. “Impact of Dust on the
Performance of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems under United Arab Emirates Weather
Conditions.” Renewable Energy 141: 287–97.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2019.04.004.
 Haidar, Zeyad A, Jamel Orfi, and Zakariya Kaneesamkandi, 2018. “Experimental
Investigation of Evaporative Cooling for Enhancing Photovoltaic Panels Efficiency.”
Results in Physics 11: 690–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rinp.2018.10.016.
 Hashim, Emad Talib, 2016. “Dust Effect on the Efficiency of Silicon Mono Crystalline
Solar Modules at Different Tilt Angles at Al-Jadryia Climate Conditions.” Journal of
Engineering 22 (2).
 IA.Hasan, S.R.Fafraj, A.J.Kadem, 2017. “Enhancing Photoelectric Conversion Efficiency
of Photovoltaic Panel Using Cooled Water by Evaporation.” Engineering and
Technology Journal 35 (part A NO.5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2013.01.022.
 Moharram, K. A., M. S. Abd-Elhady, H. A. Kandil, and H. El-Sherif, 2013. “Enhancing
the Performance of Photovoltaic Panels by Water Cooling.” Ain Shams Engineering
Journal 4 (4): 869–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2013.03.005.
32
 Number 8 Volume 26 August 2020 Journal of Engineering

 Musthafa, M Mohamed, 2015. “Enhancing Photoelectric Conversion Efficiency of Solar

Panel by Water Cooling Fundamentals of Renewable Energy and Applications.” Journal
of Fundamentals of Renewable Energy and Applications 5 (4): 10–14.
https://doi.org/10.4172/20904541.1000166.
 Nižetić, S., D. Čoko, A. Yadav, and F. Grubišić-Čabo, 2016. “Water Spray Cooling
Technique Applied on a Photovoltaic Panel: The Performance Response.” Energy
Conversion and Management 108: 287–96.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2015.10.079.
 Raval, Hiren D., Subarna Maiti, and Ashish Mittal, 2014. “Computational Fluid
Dynamics Analysis and Experimental Validation of Improvement in Overall Energy
Efficiency of a Solar Photovoltaic Panel by Thermal Energy Recovery.” Journal of
Renewable and Sustainable Energy 6 (3). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4885178.
 Said, Syed A.M., Ghassan Hassan, Husam M. Walwil, and N. Al-Aqeeli, 2018. “The
Effect of Environmental Factors and Dust Accumulation on Photovoltaic Modules and
Dust-Accumulation Mitigation Strategies.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
82 (May 2017): 743–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.09.042.
 Satpute, Jitendra B, and A. John Rajan, 2018. “Recent Advancement in Cooling
Technologies of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System.” FME Transactions 46 (4): 575–84.
https://doi.org/10.5937/fmet1804575S.
 Schiro, Fabio, Alberto Benato, Anna Stoppato, and Nicola Destro, 2017. “Improving
Photovoltaics Efficiency by Water Cooling: Modelling and Experimental Approach.”
Energy 137: 798–810. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2017.04.164.
 Sukarno, Kartini, Ag Sufiyan Abd Hamid, Halim Razali, and Jedol Dayou, 2017.
“Evaluation on Cooling Effect on Solar PV Power Output Using Laminar H2O Surface
Method.” International Journal of Renewable Energy Research 7 (3): 1213–18.
 Vaishak, S., and Purnanand V. Bhale, 2019. “Effect of Dust Deposition on Performance
Characteristics of a Refrigerant Based Photovoltaic/Thermal System.” Sustainable
Energy Technologies and Assessments 36 100548(September).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.2019.100548.
 Yang, Li Hao, Jyun De Liang, Chien Yeh Hsu, Tai Her Yang, and Sih Li Chen, 2019.
“Enhanced Efficiency of Photovoltaic Panels by Integrating a Spray Cooling System with
Shallow Geothermal Energy Heat Exchanger.” Renewable Energy 134: 970–81.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2018.11.089.
 Zilli, Bruno Meneghel, Anderson Miguel Lenz, Samuel Nelson Melegari de Souza,
Deonir Secco, Carlos Eduardo Camargo Nogueira, Oswaldo Hideo Ando Junior, Willian
Cézar Nadaleti, Jair Antonio Cruz Siqueira, and Flavio Gurgacz, 2018. “Performance and
Effect of Water-Cooling on a Microgeneration System of Photovoltaic Solar Energy in
Paraná Brazil.” Journal of Cleaner Production 192: 477–85.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.04.241.

33