Simulation of an active cooling system for low-concentratinag photovoltaic solar cells

Authors

  • Sayat Orynbassar Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Faculty of Physics and Technology, 71 Al-Farabi, 050040 Almaty, Kazakhstan
  • Ainur Kapparova Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Faculty of Physics and Technology, 71 Al-Farabi, 050040 Almaty, Kazakhstan
  • Gulbakhar Dosymbetova Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Faculty of Physics and Technology, 71 Al-Farabi, 050040 Almaty, Kazakhstan
  • Dinara Almen Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Faculty of Physics and Technology, 71 Al-Farabi, 050040 Almaty, Kazakhstan
  • Evan Yershov Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Faculty of Physics and Technology, 71 Al-Farabi, 050040 Almaty, Kazakhstan
  • Ahmet Saymbetov Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Faculty of Physics and Technology, 71 Al-Farabi, 050040 Almaty, Kazakhstan
  • Madiyar Nurgaliyev Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Faculty of Physics and Technology, 71 Al-Farabi, 050040 Almaty, Kazakhstan
  • Batyrbek Zholamanov Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Faculty of Physics and Technology, 71 Al-Farabi, 050040 Almaty, Kazakhstan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14311/AP.2025.65.0429

Keywords:

water-cooling system, cooling time, LCPV, concentration ratio, heatsink

Abstract

One of the key challenges of concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems is the need for effective thermal management, as the increased solar irradiance significantly raises the operating temperature of solar cells, thereby reducing their efficiency. This study proposes a passive cooling solution for a Π-shaped low-concentration photovoltaic (LCPV) system, designed without a mechanical pump and uses gravity-fed water circulation. The thermal performance of the system was analysed using COMSOL Multiphysics. The simulation results demonstrate that the developed cooling system achieves high temperature uniformity, with a maximum surface temperature difference of only 0.07 °C for a radiator comprising five tubes. The system is capable of reducing the solar cell temperature from 40 °C to 22 °C in 10 seconds. Various radiator configurations were investigated for a module consisting of nine solar cells, confirming that the proposed system enables rapid cooling and maintains the cell temperature within optimal operating conditions. The presented design offers a simple, energy-efficient, and cost-effective solution for thermal regulation in LCPV modules.

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Published

2025-09-10

Issue

Vol. 65 No. 4 (2025)

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Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Sayat Orynbassar, Ainur Kapparova, Gulbakhar Dosymbetova, Dinara Almen, Evan Yershov, Ahmet Saymbetov, Madiyar Nurgaliyev, Batyrbek Zholamanov

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Orynbassar, S., Kapparova, A., Dosymbetova, G., Almen, D., Yershov, E., Saymbetov, A., Nurgaliyev, M., & Zholamanov, B. (2025). Simulation of an active cooling system for low-concentratinag photovoltaic solar cells. Acta Polytechnica, 65(4), 429-441. https://doi.org/10.14311/AP.2025.65.0429