USE OF PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE TEMPERATURE OF INTEGRATED PV MODULES AT A REASONABLE LEVEL

摘要

High operating temperatures reduce the efficiency of polycrystalline photovoltaic systems. It is a major problem in building-integrated photovoltaic devices in which free convection cooling is limited. Phase change materials allow thermal energy to be stored at constant temperature during their phase change. This study consists in coupling a photovoltaic system and a phase change material in order to should reduce the temperature of the photovoltaic surface and thus improve the electrical production of the system. Experimental tests and numerical model have been led simultaneously, in order to, first, deal with the feasibility and the technical barriers of this solution and secondly quantify the coupling impact with several phase change materials. This paper describes the first experimental campaign led under an artificial sunshine bench, as well as the first numerical models achieved.