The Effect of Non-Recirculating Front Surface Air Cooling on the Amount of Electricity In Volts Produced by a Photovoltaic Solar Panel System

Shyam Ganesh Babu

School Name

Spring Valley High School

Grade Level

10th Grade

Presentation Topic

Engineering

Presentation Type

Non-Mentored

Abstract

The low efficiency of photovoltaic panels has limited its commercial use and its ability to convert clean energy into electricity. To increase photovoltaic panel efficiency by decreasing surface temperature and improving voltage production, non-recirculating front surface air-cooling was proposed. It was hypothesized that if an air curtain is installed over a photovoltaic solar panel, then the number of volts produced would be greater than a typical solar panel configuration. The final curtain design was built of two propellers, controlled by 3-volt motors, held by balsa wood, and powered by a DC supply. The photovoltaic panel was built in a circuit using a 1,000-ohm resistor, LED light, breadboard, wire, and a halogen light as the power source. The controlled test, completed without the air-cooling, had 20 trials, each four hours long. Another 20 trials of 4 hours were completed with the cooling system. The experiment was conducted in a closed setting, with no other source of light or air. Temperature (°C) and voltage (V) data were collected through a LabQuest2. The data were statistically analyzed using a paired t test with a 95% confidence interval. The results show that, on average, the air-cooled setup generated 2.720% more voltage than the controlled test. The air-cooled setup was 35.801% cooler than the controlled setup. The changes in voltage and temperature are statistically significant, as the p-values were less than 0.010. Therefore, the solar panels with air curtains were demonstrated to be more efficient in producing electricity, meaning the hypothesis was supported.

Location

John's Hall 105

Start Date

3-28-2020 9:15 AM

Presentation Format

Oral and Written

Group Project

No

COinS
 
Mar 28th, 9:15 AM

The Effect of Non-Recirculating Front Surface Air Cooling on the Amount of Electricity In Volts Produced by a Photovoltaic Solar Panel System

John's Hall 105

The low efficiency of photovoltaic panels has limited its commercial use and its ability to convert clean energy into electricity. To increase photovoltaic panel efficiency by decreasing surface temperature and improving voltage production, non-recirculating front surface air-cooling was proposed. It was hypothesized that if an air curtain is installed over a photovoltaic solar panel, then the number of volts produced would be greater than a typical solar panel configuration. The final curtain design was built of two propellers, controlled by 3-volt motors, held by balsa wood, and powered by a DC supply. The photovoltaic panel was built in a circuit using a 1,000-ohm resistor, LED light, breadboard, wire, and a halogen light as the power source. The controlled test, completed without the air-cooling, had 20 trials, each four hours long. Another 20 trials of 4 hours were completed with the cooling system. The experiment was conducted in a closed setting, with no other source of light or air. Temperature (°C) and voltage (V) data were collected through a LabQuest2. The data were statistically analyzed using a paired t test with a 95% confidence interval. The results show that, on average, the air-cooled setup generated 2.720% more voltage than the controlled test. The air-cooled setup was 35.801% cooler than the controlled setup. The changes in voltage and temperature are statistically significant, as the p-values were less than 0.010. Therefore, the solar panels with air curtains were demonstrated to be more efficient in producing electricity, meaning the hypothesis was supported.