Thermal and electrical performances of a water-surface floating PV integrated with double water-saturated MEPCM layers

In the present study, two water-saturated microencapsulated phase change material (MEPCM) layers are attached to the back of a photovoltaic (PV) to form a MEPCM-PV module, which then floats on the water surface. Numerical simulation is used to analyze the effects of the MEPCM layers on the temperature control of the solar cell and the power generation efficiency of the PV module during the day under local climate conditions. The results show that compared to the PV module without any MEPCM layers, the thermal and electrical performance of the MEPCM-PV module increased significantly. Compared to the untreated PV module, the power generation output of the MEPCM-PV module with a 3-cm-thick top MEPCM layer with a melting point of 30 degrees C and a 3-cm-thick bottom MEPCM layer with a melting point of 26 degrees C (3 cm/3 cm-30 degrees C/26 degrees C MEPCM-PV module) increased by 1.48%, and the power generation output of the 5 cm/5 cm-30 degrees C/26 degrees C MEPCM-PV module increased by 2.03% during the summer. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.