article · Case Studies in Thermal Engineering
This experimental research investigates the performance of concentrated triple-junction photovoltaic cells operating under high solar concentrations, from 56 to 550 suns, in hot climatic conditions in Saudi Arabia. To prevent overheating, the cells were tested with four different passive heat sink designs varying in size and fin configuration, including straight and chopped fins. The largest heat sink with full straight fins achieved the highest electrical efficiency of 40.48 percent at 550 suns, compared to 39.7 percent for a smaller chopped-fin model. However, the smaller, lighter heat sink delivered a substantially higher power-to-weight ratio. The addition of passive cooling increased the exergy improvement potential and increased exergy costs by up to 0.085 dollars per square centimetre. Furthermore, deploying heat sinks significantly reduced annual carbon emissions compared to operating uncooled cells.
Concentrated photovoltaic systems generate intense heat that degrades electrical output and damages equipment. Demonstrating that passive finned heat sinks can effectively cool multi-junction cells in extreme heat offers a route to maximise electricity generation without consuming additional energy for active cooling mechanisms.
This work is relevant to solar hardware designers, thermal engineers, and concentrated photovoltaic developers operating in hot desert environments. The technology appears to be applied and tested experimentally in real-world weather conditions, offering evidence to help manufacturers balance raw cooling efficiency against heat sink weight and material costs.
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The current study evaluates the energy, exergy, and environmental performance of concentrated triple junction photovoltaic (CPV TJ) cells at various concentration ratios with solar incident irradiance (CRs) ranging from 56 to 550 suns in Saudi Arabia during hot weather. Therefore, the integrated solar cells employed four distinct heat sinks: two with dimensions of 40 × 40 mm2, one with full straight fins (HS-A) and the other with chopped fins (HS-B), and the remaining two with dimensions of 150 × 70 mm2, one with full straight fins (HS-D) and the other with chopped fins (HS-C). The large heat sink (type-D) is 40.48% more efficient than the smaller one (type-B), which is only 39.7% efficient at a CR of 550. Regarding weight, the lighter heat sink (type-B) generates a higher relative power of roughly 1.22 W/g.cm2 than the heaviest one (type-D), which produces 0.22 W/g.cm2. According to exergy, the heat sink raised the solar cell improvement potential (IP) to 6.3, with exergy cost up to 0.085 $/cm2 higher than the uncooled cell. Based on an environmental study, combining the TJ cell with heat sinks reduces yearly carbon emissions by 311.9–327 tons/m2 compared to 43 tons/m2 for the uncooled cell.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.csite.2023.103626
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