Energy-economic comparison of photovoltaic modules equipped with a layer of conventional and improved phase-change material

Cooling of photovoltaic devices leads to an increase in voltage, power output, and yield. However, an appropriate cooling measure is only beneficial if the additional costs are lower than the cumulated profit. For that reason an energy-economic analysis of a passive cooling measure based on phase-change materials was conducted. Measurement data from two photovoltaic modules each equipped with a phase-change material were studied. Related investigation considers the variation at the electricity spot market during the time of day, while additional PV power is being supplied in the forenoon - due to cooling. This becomes particularly interesting in electrical grids that already contain a considerable amount of (uncooled) PV (Germany as an example).