Investigating the effectiveness of hydrogels for PV cooling across different operational conditions: An experimental approach

This study experimentally investigates the effectiveness of hydrogels as a passive cooling solution for PV modules under varying ambient temperatures (30-50°C), tilt angles (0-40°), and wind speeds (0-3 m/s). A novel sprung cooling-rig for hydrogel application was tested and found comparable to existing designs. Compared to an uncooled reference, the hydrogel system demonstrated an average electrical efficiency enhancement that positively correlated with ambient temperature, achieving a peak of 8.84% at 50°C. Efficiency gains were lower at non-zero tilt angles despite enhanced heat transfer. Increased wind speed generally reduced the average efficiency enhancement (from 6.06% at 0 m/s to 2.23% at 2 m/s), but a slight increase to 2.71% was observed at 3 m/s, attributed to improved hydrogel evaporation due to better airflow within the rig. Environmentally, this hydrogel cooling system offers a significant climate change mitigation benefit by cutting annual carbon emissions by about 2284 kg of CO 2 , resulting in yearly savings of roughly $114.2 in carbon costs. Furthermore, this research offers crucial understanding of hydrogel-based PV cooling across various operating scenarios and confirms the effectiveness of a newly developed cooling-rig design.