Improving Thermal Performance and Assessing Wind Effects on Photovoltaic Modules: Case Study for Lake Tana, Ethiopia

Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are commonly used for sustainable energy generation, even in regions with limited land availability and high temperatures. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) this study evaluates the performance of a solar PV system under variable solar insolation and wind conditions, which affect their efficiency. A particular feature of the simulation is to determine the distribution of cell temperature over the module as module efficiency decreases with increasing temperature and variable temperature reduces output by causing mismatches in the maximum efficiency point of the individual cells. Thus, the simulation solves the energy equation for the air temperature and no convective heat transfer coefficients are used. Steady‐state simulations are shown to analyze the effects of wind speeds ranging from 1 to 10 m/s on the drag coefficient C d , lift coefficient C l , and temperature distribution of the PV modules. The CFD results are validated against experimental data from recent studies. The findings indicates that increasing wind speed enhances convective cooling and significantly reduces PV module temperature, with the strongest cooling effect occurring at low‐to‐moderate wind speeds under solar irradiance levels of 700–1000 W/m 2 and ambient temperature of 25°C at a 15° tilt angle. At low wind speeds, hotspots form on the module surface, resulting in higher operational temperatures and potential performance degradation. In contrast, at higher wind speeds, more uniform cooling is observed, lowering the maximum module temperature from 60°C at 1 m/s to 35°C at 10 m/s, in contrast, higher wind speeds promoted more uniform cooling and improved thermal stability across the module. Although the aerodynamic forces acting on the module increase with wind speed, the force coefficients may decrease. This research demonstrates that CFD can be used for optimizing the design and positioning of PV systems in regions with moderate to high wind speeds.