Comparative Study of Photovoltaic Cooling Techniques Under Identical Conditions

This work presents an ongoing experimental study for the comparative evaluation of photovoltaic (PV) cooling techniques under identical outdoor conditions in the Bekaa region, Lebanon. A unified experimental platform has been developed, where seven PV configurations, including air cooling, water spray cooling, phase change material (PCM) systems, finned heat sinks, ducted forced convection, and evaporative cooling, are applied to identical 30 W PV modules. A real-time data acquisition system based on Arduino Mega and ESP32 has been designed to monitor temperature, irradiance, voltage, current, and power output, with automatic data logging using PLX-DAQ. A temperature-based control strategy is implemented, where the cooling systems are activated when the PV surface temperature exceeds 40°C. At this stage, the system design, fabrication, and control integration have been completed, while the experimental testing and performance evaluation are still in progress. The final aim of this study is to provide a fair comparison between different PV cooling techniques and identify the most effective and practical solutions for real-world applications.

Work In Progress