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Smart Energy System: For Cooling Solar Panels
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Ms. Rashmi Chawla*
Email: rashmichawlaymca@gmail.com
In the scorching summers, when the Indian solar industry is expected to be at its best, it is plagued with heat woes. The statement
may seem to be counter-intuitive, but solar panel output efficiency is negatively impacted by increased temperature. With the mounting global pressure moving on to an economy with less carbon, the solar industry is one of the most fast-developing industries in the country. The solar generation capacity in India has expanded eight times in the last 5 years, with Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh being the top states with the largest solar parks. But the scorching temperatures during summers in these states usually force swathes of solar parks for rolling low optimum output owing to heat-related issues. The energy guzzlers suspect that the
solar parks in the future will experience high temperatures, which will not only impacts their output efficiency but also the life span of the module. I was in my hometown, Bhopal, for winter vacation (Bhopal is famous for heat waves, so the best time to visit is usually a rainy season or winter season); 30 December 2017, the Times of India, Bhopal, headlines (Madhya Pradesh) ‘MP push towards solar energy: Addition of 2000 MW in next 3 years. A solar photovoltaic cell needs sunlight for electricity generation, but with rays, heat comes too. During this complete return journey to my working place Faridabad, Haryana, this thought resonated with me. A solar panel needs to handle the heat of the warming world, and it is the growing slice of India’s renewable electricity generation. What could be done?
* Ms. Rashmi Chawla, PhD Scholar from Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Haryana, is pursuing her research on “Optical Modelling and Simulation of Photo Voltaic Devices”. Her popular science story entitled “Smart Energy System: For Cooling Solar Panels” has been selected for AWSAR Award.