Innovative water-cooling system for enhanced energy efficiency in photovoltaic-thermal system
Photovoltaic (PV) panels convert solar energy into electricity but suffer from efficiency losses as panel temperatures rise. A novel photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) system integrated with a water-cooling system (WCS) was developed in this study to alleviate this issue. Most of the previous studies attach...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Case Studies in Thermal Engineering |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25003971 |
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| author | Muhammad Ibrahim Ali Zaini Muslizainun Mustapha Nurul Syakirah Nazri Nurul Nazli Rosli Muhazri Abd Mutalib Wan Mustafa Wan Sulong Mohd Adib Ibrahim Ahmad Fudholi |
| author_facet | Muhammad Ibrahim Ali Zaini Muslizainun Mustapha Nurul Syakirah Nazri Nurul Nazli Rosli Muhazri Abd Mutalib Wan Mustafa Wan Sulong Mohd Adib Ibrahim Ahmad Fudholi |
| author_sort | Muhammad Ibrahim Ali Zaini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Photovoltaic (PV) panels convert solar energy into electricity but suffer from efficiency losses as panel temperatures rise. A novel photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) system integrated with a water-cooling system (WCS) was developed in this study to alleviate this issue. Most of the previous studies attach TEC directly at the back surface of the PV panel to reduce PV temperature. However, this research develops a novel design of WCS to cool the water to 20 °C before it flows into the PVT collector. Comparative performance analysis between the PVT-WCS and conventional water-based PVT systems revealed that the PVT-WCS system achieved superior electrical and thermal efficiencies. Under solar irradiance of 846 W/m2 and a mass flow rate of 0.05 kg/s, the PVT-WCS system demonstrated a 16.54 % increase in power output compared to the conventional PVT system. This enhancement is attributed to a steeper temperature gradient between the PV panel and the cooling fluid, improving the convective heat transfer coefficient and enabling more effective thermal energy removal. The PVT-WCS system achieved an overall energy efficiency of 83.26 %, outperforming the conventional PVT system of 80.02 %. The findings highlight the potential of integrating PVT with WCS to enhance energy generation and overall performance. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ad93436e072c41c08f58f4a0a7809bcb |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2214-157X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Studies in Thermal Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-ad93436e072c41c08f58f4a0a7809bcb2025-08-20T02:13:40ZengElsevierCase Studies in Thermal Engineering2214-157X2025-06-017010613710.1016/j.csite.2025.106137Innovative water-cooling system for enhanced energy efficiency in photovoltaic-thermal systemMuhammad Ibrahim Ali Zaini0Muslizainun Mustapha1Nurul Syakirah Nazri2Nurul Nazli Rosli3Muhazri Abd Mutalib4Wan Mustafa Wan Sulong5Mohd Adib Ibrahim6Ahmad Fudholi7Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, MalaysiaDepartment of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia; Solar Energy Research Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia; Corresponding author. Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.School of Liberal Studies (CITRA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, MalaysiaSTEM Enculturation Research Centre, Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, MalaysiaDepartment of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering dan Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, MalaysiaWater and Energy Department, Malaysia France Institute, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, 43650, Selangor, MalaysiaSolar Energy Research Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, MalaysiaSolar Energy Research Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia; Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Widyatama University, IndonesiaPhotovoltaic (PV) panels convert solar energy into electricity but suffer from efficiency losses as panel temperatures rise. A novel photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) system integrated with a water-cooling system (WCS) was developed in this study to alleviate this issue. Most of the previous studies attach TEC directly at the back surface of the PV panel to reduce PV temperature. However, this research develops a novel design of WCS to cool the water to 20 °C before it flows into the PVT collector. Comparative performance analysis between the PVT-WCS and conventional water-based PVT systems revealed that the PVT-WCS system achieved superior electrical and thermal efficiencies. Under solar irradiance of 846 W/m2 and a mass flow rate of 0.05 kg/s, the PVT-WCS system demonstrated a 16.54 % increase in power output compared to the conventional PVT system. This enhancement is attributed to a steeper temperature gradient between the PV panel and the cooling fluid, improving the convective heat transfer coefficient and enabling more effective thermal energy removal. The PVT-WCS system achieved an overall energy efficiency of 83.26 %, outperforming the conventional PVT system of 80.02 %. The findings highlight the potential of integrating PVT with WCS to enhance energy generation and overall performance.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25003971Water cooling system (WCS)Thermoelectric coolingPeltier effectPhotovoltaic thermalEnergy analysisEfficiency |
| spellingShingle | Muhammad Ibrahim Ali Zaini Muslizainun Mustapha Nurul Syakirah Nazri Nurul Nazli Rosli Muhazri Abd Mutalib Wan Mustafa Wan Sulong Mohd Adib Ibrahim Ahmad Fudholi Innovative water-cooling system for enhanced energy efficiency in photovoltaic-thermal system Case Studies in Thermal Engineering Water cooling system (WCS) Thermoelectric cooling Peltier effect Photovoltaic thermal Energy analysis Efficiency |
| title | Innovative water-cooling system for enhanced energy efficiency in photovoltaic-thermal system |
| title_full | Innovative water-cooling system for enhanced energy efficiency in photovoltaic-thermal system |
| title_fullStr | Innovative water-cooling system for enhanced energy efficiency in photovoltaic-thermal system |
| title_full_unstemmed | Innovative water-cooling system for enhanced energy efficiency in photovoltaic-thermal system |
| title_short | Innovative water-cooling system for enhanced energy efficiency in photovoltaic-thermal system |
| title_sort | innovative water cooling system for enhanced energy efficiency in photovoltaic thermal system |
| topic | Water cooling system (WCS) Thermoelectric cooling Peltier effect Photovoltaic thermal Energy analysis Efficiency |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25003971 |
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