Adaptive cooling framework for Photovoltaic systems: A seasonal investigation under the terrestrial conditions of Sharjah, UAE

The increment of PV operating temperature has a significant impact on the overall efficiency, longevity, and degradation of PV systems. In this notion, researchers have sought to investigate different cooling methodologies to minimize the impact of abrupt operating temperatures. However, most investigations discuss the impact of the working base fluid in small periods without proposing methods for temperature regulation based on defined thresholds. In this study, an adaptive cooling framework is proposed through thermal and electrical modeling to examine the cooling effect on a 2.88 kW grid-connected PV system installed in Sharjah, UAE. An operating temperature threshold of 55°C is considered based on the annual average operating temperature, to facilitate adaptive cooling. The framework is modeled based on heat transfer thermodynamic laws and implemented on MATLAB using experimentally driven measurements collected from the above-mentioned system for December, March, June, and September. As a result, the proposed framework has presented notable merits in terms of electrical and thermal characteristics across the four different seasons. The highest heat extraction was observed in September, where a reduction of 25.36% was observed in PV operating temperature, showing the effectiveness of temperature regulation in harsh weather conditions. As a result, the electrical characteristics have improved significantly leading to an 8.79%, 6.39%, and 6.58% enhancement in maximum power output, maximum voltage, and electrical efficiency, respectively.