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被动冷却的最佳翅片配置来优化光伏系统性能。翅片的选择和设计是为了确保配置以低成本提供最佳的被动散热，以实现可持续能源开发和扶贫。由于没有移动部件，这将不会有机械问题。作为一种无源器件，它没有外部能源需求，提供了强大的解决方案，以确保光伏系统在相对较高的环境温度环境中表现最佳，其中光伏电池温度可能会比环境条件高出30°C以上。PV电池温度的降低，如文献中充分建立的，提高了转换效率，导致相对较低的发电单位成本和较短的投资回收期。本项目的选址是撒哈拉以南非洲的尼日利亚，其峰值环境温度范围为30.7--36.0 ° C。在这里，近40%的人口无法获得电力，大约60%的人口面临每千瓦成本相对较高的挑战，间歇性供电导致广泛使用化石燃料发电机。随着人为温室气体排放加剧全球气候变化，探索和开发清洁可再生能源的机会势在必行。尼日利亚在发电方面面临所有这些挑战，但拥有丰富的太阳能资源。然而，这种丰富的太阳能资源伴随着相关的热量，由于表面温度的上升，这些热量影响了PV电池的电力转换效率。为了改善这个撒哈拉以南非洲国家面临的无数能源问题的清洁能源的获取，我们建议将最佳翅片设计与光伏系统集成，以实现被动冷却和提高转换效率。其目的是实现较低的单位电力成本和较短的回收期。为了实现这一目标，我们将进行数值评估的建议集成系统的理论性能。一旦确定，将开发实验室原型并在实验室条件下进行测试，以确定实验性能。之后，原型系统将在尼日利亚的真实的条件下进行测试，以验证其在该地区采用的真实的性能。对我们的设计至关重要的是，鳍片将由廉价，可用和高导电性的材料制成，如铝，铜或比较合金，以确保最终用户在零维护要求的情况下进行成本有效的优化，以鼓励其采用。