TY - JOUR
TI - Experimental investigation to improve the performance of the PV module using graphene hydrophobic nano coating coupled with top water cooling
AU - Myilswamy Karthik
AU - Kumaresan Kannan
JN - Thermal Science
PY - 2025
VL - 29
IS - 3
SP - 2521
EP - 2533
PT - Article
AB - This research aims to enhance the efficiency of polycrystalline silicon solar photovoltaic panels by addressing the dual challenges of dust accumulation and tem-perature variations. The study investigates the effects of applying a hydrophobic graphene nanocoating on the top surface of the panels to prevent dust buildup, coupled with a top water-cooling system to regulate panel temperature. Outdoor experiments were conducted in Coimbatore, India, from 8:00 a. m. to 4:00 p. m. under sunny conditions for 40 days. A total of eight identical photovoltaic panels were tested with various configurations, and performance parameters such as glass temperature, Tedlar® temperature, output power, solar radiation, ambient temperature, and wind speed were recorded. Experimental results show that the graphene nanocoating reduces panel temperature by 9.36% compared to the dusty panel and 3.8% compared to the uncoated, manually cleaned panel by day 40. The nanocoating alone increased power output and efficiency by 4.16% and 3.3%, respectively, compared to the uncoated, no-cooling panel. Additionally, the nano-coated, top water-cooled panels showed improvements of 16.87% in output power and 13.22% in efficiency compared to the uncoated, no-cooling panel, and 3.11% in power and 2.82% in efficiency compared to the uncoated, water-cooled panels. These results demonstrate that the combined application of graphene nanocoating and water cooling effectively enhances the performance and longevity of photovoltaic modules by reducing dust accumulation and regulating temperature.