Efficiency Enhancement of Photovoltaic Panels via Air, Water, and Porous Media Cooling Methods: Thermal–Electrical Modeling

Brahim Menacer, Nour El Houda Baghdous, Sunny Narayan (), Moaz Al-lehaibi, Liomnis Osorio and Víctor Tuninetti
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Brahim Menacer: Laboratoire des Systèmes Complexe (LSC), Ecole Supérieure en Génie Electrique et Energétique ESGEE Oran, Chemin Vicinal N9, Oran 31000, Algeria
Nour El Houda Baghdous: Laboratoire des Systèmes Complexe (LSC), Ecole Supérieure en Génie Electrique et Energétique ESGEE Oran, Chemin Vicinal N9, Oran 31000, Algeria
Sunny Narayan: Department of Mechanics and Advanced Materials, School of Engineering and Sciences, Campus Monterrey, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, Tecnológico, Monterrey 64849, Mexico
Moaz Al-lehaibi: Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering and Architecture, Umm Al-Qura University, P.O. Box 5555, Makkah 24382, Saudi Arabia
Liomnis Osorio: Engineering Doctoral Program, Universidad de La Frontera, Francisco Salazar 01145, Temuco 4780000, Chile
Víctor Tuninetti: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 4811230, Chile

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-22

Abstract: Improving photovoltaic (PV) panel performance under extreme climatic conditions is critical for advancing sustainable energy systems. In hyper-arid regions, elevated operating temperatures significantly reduce panel efficiency. This study investigates and compares three cooling techniques—air cooling, water cooling, and porous media cooling—using thermal and electrical modeling based on CFD simulations in ANSYS. The numerical model replicates a PV system operating under peak solar irradiance (900 W/m 2 ) and realistic ambient conditions in Adrar, Algeria. Simulation results show that air cooling leads to a modest temperature reduction of 6 °C and a marginal efficiency gain of 0.25%. Water cooling, employing a top-down laminar flow, reduces cell temperature by over 35 °C and improves net electrical output by 30.9%, despite pump energy consumption. Porous media cooling, leveraging passive evaporation through gravel, decreases panel temperature by around 30 °C and achieves a net output gain of 26.3%. Mesh sensitivity and validation against experimental data support the accuracy of the model. These findings highlight the significant potential of water and porous material cooling strategies to enhance PV performance in hyper-arid environments. The study also demonstrates that porous media can deliver high thermal effectiveness with minimal energy input, making it a suitable low-cost option for off-grid applications. Future work will integrate long-term climate data, real diffuser geometries, and experimental validation to further refine these models.

Keywords: photovoltaic systems; passive and active cooling; thermal performance; energy conversion efficiency; CFD simulation; sustainable energy technologies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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