EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF PV PANEL WITH FIN COOLING UNDER NATURAL CONVECTION

Photovoltaic solar cell generates electricity by receiving solar irradiance in the forms of photons. Photons with wavelengths above the threshold are converted into heat in the PV cells. This waste heat must be dissipated efficiently in order to avoid excessive high temperatures, which have an adverse effect on the electrical performance of the cell. Therefore, in this paper, performance enhancement of PV panels was experimented utilizing passive fin cooling under natural convection. To properly cool the PV panel, different cross sectional fins with perforation was attached at the backside of the panel. Comparative experimental study on PV panels with and without fin cooling was carried out to investigate the effect of operating temperature on the voltage, current & power output developed by the panel. The results showed that due to fin cooling temperature of the PV panel dropped significantly & the power output was improved by 5.5% under natural convection.