Analytical Modeling and Optimization of a Heat Sink Design for Passive Cooling of Solar PV Panel

High temperature is the primary challenge in the development of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in an arid climate. A rise in temperature diminishes the performance of the PV systems and shortens their lifespan. The goal of this manuscript is to develop an analytical model to predict the temperature of PV panels under a passive cooling system for an arid environment. Taking into consideration the link between solar panel temperature and its conversion efficiency, Kirchhoff’s and Ohm’s laws for a complex circuit were applied to calculate the heat flux in the solar panel system, and hence obtain the temperatures of each layer in the system. Closed-form analytical expressions for temperature, output power, and conversion efficiency of the solar panel were deduced and presented as functions of solar irradiance, ambient temperature, emissivity, wind velocity, tilt angle, and dimensions of fins. Comparison between the results presented in the literature and those predicted by the developed analytical model validated the presented model. Moreover, the length of the fins required for safe thermal operation of solar panels in harsh desert environment were also obtained from analysis. Furthermore, the effect of using such a cooling system on the temperature and efficiency of the solar panels was verified by using the developed model under real conditions in Dammam city during summer and winter seasons. The results showed that the optimized heat sink could raise the solar panel power by 8.7% during summer and by 6.5% during winter.