Computational Investigating the Combination of Finned Heat Sink and Phase Change Material as a Cooling Technology for a Solar Panel to be Applied in Arid Areas

This paper entails a computational investigation that aims to examine the effects of applying Phase Change Materials (PCM) and fins as a cooling technology for the Photovoltaic (PV) panel system in arid areas. In previous case studies, it is noticeable that PCM heat transfer showed to be a weak point, therefore, the focus of this investigation is to enhance the efficiency of the heat transfer between PCM and the ambient atmosphere by applying fins on the container of PCM. Enhancing the heat transfer helps PCM to remain in its transitional phase, which allows PCM to absorb latent heat (LH). The findings of this paper show the effects of combining PCM and fins, evidencing that it decreases the temperature of the PV panel’s surface temperature around 7 K for a heat flux and the ambient temperature of 750 W/m2 and 318.15 K respectively