Improvement of Photovoltaic Panel Efficiency using Nanofluid

Abstract

The performance of PV (photovoltaic) module is strongly dependent on its operating temperature. Most of the energy absorbed by the panel is converted to heat which is normally lost and provides no value. This work investigated experimentally the PV performance through using three separated PV panels. Three identical photovoltaic (PV) panels have been installed side by side to investigate the effect of cooling on the PV panels performance, one of them is used as a baseline ; the second is cooled using pure water; while the third is cooled using nanofluids. Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3) and Copper Oxide (CuO ) nanoparticles were added to the pure water to form the nanofluid, each one with different concentration in order to find the optimum concentration of Al2O3 and CuO. Meteorological data was measured using a weather station. Also, the temperature of the cooling fluids together with the backside temperature of the PV Panels was recorded. It was found that an increase in the efficiency of the panel of 2% was obtained when 0.4 % Al2O3 by weight was mixed with the pure water. This increase in efficiency was 2.34% when 0.6 % CuO