Author(s)

Xiao Tang, Zhenhua Quan, Yaohua Zhao

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A novel micro heat pipe array was used in solar panel cooling. Both of air-cooling and water-cooling conditions under nature convection condition were investigated in this paper. Compared with the ordinary solar panel, the maximum difference of the photoelectric conversion efficiency is 2.6%, the temperature reduces maximally by 4.7℃, the output power increases maximally by 8.4% for the solar panel with heat pipe using air-cooling, when the daily radiation value is 26.3 MJ. Compared with the solar panel with heat pipe using air-cooling, the maximum difference of the photoelectric conversion efficiency is 3%, the temperature reduces maximally by 8℃, the output power increases maximally by 13.9% for the solar panel with heat pipe using water-cooling, when the daily radiation value is 21.9 MJ.

Solar Panel Cooling, Photoelectric Conversion Efficiency, Micro Heat Pipe array

X. Tang, Z. Quan and Y. Zhao, "Experimental Investigation of Solar Panel Cooling by a Novel Micro Heat Pipe Array," Energy and Power Engineering, Vol. 2 No. 3, 2010, pp. 171-174. doi: 10.4236/epe.2010.23025.