| ABSTRACT |
Solar panel or known as solar photovoltaic allow the direct conversion of solar energy into electrical energy with maximum efficiency at range 9-12%, depending on the type of solar panel. Most of the radiation has been converted into heat, which may results in high temperature of the solar panel and low efficiency. The power output decreases 0.5% for every 1°C increment of temperature. Long time of exposing the solar panel at the high temperature, this may caused the lifetime of solar panel shorten. Therefore, solar panel cooling is essentially important. To actively cool the solar panel, a DC brushless fan with inlet/outlet manifold designed for uniform airflow distribution is attached at the backside of the solar panel. Experiments were performed with and without active cooling. Under cooling condition, the temperature can be reduced to effectively increase the efficiency of solar panel. By comparing this method with the ordinary solar panel, on average, temperature maximally reduces by 12 °C or 40%.
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