Solar panel temperature management through active cooling systems represents a breakthrough in photovoltaic efficiency optimization. These advanced cooling mechanisms utilize water-based or air-based circulation technology to effectively dissipate excess heat from PV panels. High-performance active cooling solutions maintain optimal solar cell temperatures in extreme climate conditions and during maximum solar radiation periods, ensuring consistent energy output. This innovative thermal management approach significantly extends solar panel lifespan while delivering enhanced return on investment (ROI) through improved power generation efficiency Our target in this project is to validate the paper entitled “Thermal Analysis of High Concentrator Photovoltaic Module Using Convergent-Divergent Microchannel Heat Sink Design”. The schematic of the active cooling system in a photovoltaic system is shown:

• Reference [1]: Ali, Abdallah YM, et al. “Thermal analysis of high concentrator photovoltaic module using convergent-divergent microchannel heat sink design.” Applied Thermal Engineering183 (2021): 116201.

Figure 1: The geometry and detailed dimensions of the DP-HCPVM /Thermal assembly [1]

Simulation Process

The 3D geometry consists of several parts with different materials including ceramic, germanium, copper and aluminum. It is modeled in Design Modeler software. Then, a structured grid is generated over the parts, resulting in 8813900 cells. A part of it is depicted:

Figure 2: Structure grid for Photovoltaic System

In case I, water liquid passes through the tubes and leaves through the outlets. The water regime remains laminar. A source term is added to generate heat in the germanium parts. Its value should be calculated using governing relations.

Post-processing

The displayed contours can give a thorough insight into how active cooling systems work. What we seek here is the average solar cell temperature, which is reported in Figure 8a of the paper.

According to the paper, using a mass flow rate of 0.0167kg/s can cool down the average temperature to 61°C, whereas in our simulated case, it is reported to be 60.2°C. It shows an unbelievable agreement.

The thermal contour visualization exposes the heat distribution patterns across the photovoltaic module surface. Peak temperatures concentrate at the bottom section, marked by intense red coloring, reaching 363.546K (90.4°C). Moving upward, the temperature gradually decreases through orange and yellow bands, ultimately achieving the coolest regions at the top, shown in green at approximately 298.15K (25°C). This vertical temperature gradient confirms effective heat removal by the convergent-divergent microchannels, with coolant flow visibly impacting thermal zones. The segmented panel design, divided into distinct thermal regions, highlights how heat dissipation varies across the module’s surface area, providing crucial data for optimizing microchannel placement and flow parameters.

Figure 3: Thermal contour – Active Cooling in Photovoltaic System CFD Simulation – ANSYS Fluent