StegoSolar v2 – enhanced solar PV performance through passive cooling

StegoSolar v2 — 通过被动冷却增强太阳能光伏性能

• 批准号: 10103130
• 金额: $ 24.91万
• 依托单位: HYBRID ENERGY SOLUTIONS LTD
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Demonstrator
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10103130
• 关键词: StegoSolar; v2; enhanced; solar; PV

This project is focused on optimizing photovoltaic system performance by integrating an optimum fin configuration for passive cooling. The choice and design of the fin is to ensure the configuration provides optimum passive heat dissipation at low cost towards sustainable energy development and poverty alleviation. With no moving parts this would be free from mechanical problems. As a passive device with no external energy requirements, it provides robust solutions to ensuring the PV system performs optimally in comparatively higher ambient temperature environments where the PV cell temperature can increase more than 30°C above ambient conditions. The reduction in PV cell temperature as is well established in literature, improves the conversion efficiency leading to a comparatively lower unit cost of electricity generated and a shorter payback period on investment. The chosen location for this project is Nigeria in Sub-Saharan Africa where peak ambient temperature ranges between 30.7--36.0°C. Here, almost 40% of the population have no access to electricity with the roughly 60% with access facing challenges of comparatively high cost per kW and intermittent power supply leading to widespread significant use of fossil fuel-based power generators. With anthropogenic greenhouse gas emission increasing global climate change, it is imperative that opportunities for clean renewable energy is explored and developed. Nigeria with all these challenges in electricity generation has abundant solar energy resources. However, this abundant solar resource comes with associated heat that impacts the electricity conversion efficiency of PV cells due to rise in surface temperature. To improve clean energy access in this sub-Saharan African country facing myriad energy problems, we propose the integration of an optimum fin design with PV systems towards passive cooling and enhancement of the conversion efficiency. The purpose is to achieve a lower unit cost of electricity and shorter payback. To achieve this, we will carry out numerical evaluation of the proposed integrated system for its theoretical performance. Once ascertained, a laboratory prototype would be developed and tested under laboratory conditions to ascertain experimental performance. Afterwards, the prototype system will be tested under real conditions in Nigeria to validate its real performance for adoption in the region. Critical to our design is the fins would be made from cheap, available, and highly conductive materials such as aluminium, copper, or a comparative alloy, to ensure that the optimization is done cost effectively with zero maintenance requirements by the end users to encourage its adoption.

该项目的重点是通过集成用于被动冷却的最佳鳍片配置来优化光伏系统性能。鳍的选择和设计是确保配置以低成本提供最佳的被动散热，以减轻可持续的能源发展和减轻贫困。没有运动部件，这将没有机械问题。作为没有外部能量需求的被动装置，它提供了可靠的解决方案，以确保PV系统在相对较高的环境温度环境中发挥最佳性能，在较高的环境温度环境中，PV细胞温度可以超过30°C超过环境条件。在文献中确定的PV细胞温度降低，提高了转化效率，导致产生的电力成本相对较低，投资回报期较短。该项目的选定位置是尼日利亚，在撒哈拉以南非洲，峰值环境温度在30.7---36.0°C之间。在这里，几乎40％的人口无法获得电力，大约60％的人面临着相对较高的每千瓦成本的挑战，并且间歇性的电力供应，导致广泛使用化石燃料的发电机。随着人为温室气体排放的增加，全球气候变化增加，必须探索和开发清洁可再生能源的机会。尼日利亚在发电中面临所有这些挑战，具有丰富的太阳能资源。但是，这种丰富的太阳资源带有相关的热量，这会影响由于表面温度升高而导致的PV电池的电转换效率。为了改善面临无数能源问题的撒哈拉以南非洲国家的清洁能源通道，我们建议将最佳鳍设计与PV系统的整合到被动冷却和提高转换效率的效果。目的是实现较低的电力成本和较短的回报。为了实现这一目标，我们将对所提出的集成系统进行理论性能进行数值评估。确定后，将在实验室条件下开发和测试实验室原型，以确定实验性能。之后，原型系统将在尼日利亚的实际条件下进行测试，以验证其在该地区采用的实际绩效。对我们的设计至关重要的是，鳍片将由廉价，可用和高导电的材料（例如铝，铜或比较合金）制成，以确保优化在最终用户的零维护要求上有效地进行优化，以鼓励其采用。