ENHANCING THE PERFORMANCE OF PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS THROUGH COOLING METHODS IN OUARGLA

Abstract

This study evaluates the effectiveness of combining newspaper layers with burlap as a low-cost passive evaporative cooling system for photovoltaic (PV) panels under the hot climate of Ouargla. Experimental results showed clear superiority of the hybrid system compared with both uncooled and burlap-only panels. The proposed system achieved an average temperature reduction of 3.13 °C with a peak drop of 4.10 °C, leading to a mean power gain of 2.47 W and a maximum increase of 5 W. Compared with burlap alone, the hybrid structure provided an additional thermal reduction of 2.70 °C, a power enhancement of 2.48 W, and an open circuit voltage recovery of 0.16 V. The findings confirm that this eco friendly and inexpensive solution is effective for improving PV performance under severe thermal conditions.