Research Projects

The prototype has been successfully demonstrated and patented, and now funding is required to adopt the cooling technology for testing on a 20 kW solar photovoltaic plant throughout the year, with different designs tested simultaneously under the same ambient conditions. The Standard Testing Conditions for generating maximum power is at solar radiation 1000 W/m2, Air Mass 1.5, Cell Temperature 25 °C. The solar cell is designed for an operating temperature range of -40ºC to +85ºC. However, during operation, the solar cell temperature can exceed this range. This can lead to faster degradation of the cell's lifespan and the development of hotspots, which increase resistance and reduce power generation. The rise in the temperature of solar cell decreases the power generation ie -0.45 (%/ºC) percentage for every degree rise in temperature. (Temperature co-efficient of maximum Power -0.45%/°C for silicon solar cell) and thermal degradation of panel life above 45 °C. Therefore reducing temperature is the most important parameter for generating maximum power. The different cooling technology models made from clay sand, aluminum fins mounted on the rear side of various solar panels were tested for several months to achieve the best results. The clay devices demonstrated better performance compared to the aluminum fins, natural air cooling, and other methods. The solar technology developed at NIT Kurukshetra will significantly boost daily power generation by up to 10%, prevents hotspot and almost double power in summer from March-July. The pottery cooling Technology reduced cell temperatures by up to 20°C, prevents hotspot and double the lifespan of the solar cell. The 1KW solar photovoltaic plant generated 4 to 5 units of solar power per day, and with earthen devices cooling, it generates up to 10% more, or 4.4 to 5.5 units. The pottery device takes heat load on the panel and prevents thermal stress, expanding and contracting from daily temperature swing. The cost of pottery cooling technology is 3 Rupee /Watt of PV panel, payback period 3 years shown in Table1 and it is very eco-friendly, improving the efficiency, lifespan, durability, and reliability of solar cells. The Earthenware devices, crafted from handmade traditional pottery, are shaped like plates, boxes, and cups filled with water attached to the rear side of PV panel as shown in Figure 3, Figure4, and Figure 5. They are connected through a piping system via overhead water tank via gravity flow. These provide cooling effect through evaporation of water through micro porous of sand with minimum water usage and no energy consumption. This technology can be easily adoptable for solar power plants from KW to GW and also develops local employment opportunity for potter in villagers. This Technology also easily adoptable for solar rooftop systems.