Temperature regulation of concentrating photovoltaic window using argon gas and polymer dispersed liquid crystal films

Low concentrating photovoltaic (LCPV) system has been studied extensively, which showed excellent potential for the building integration application. However, such a system suffers from higher operating temperatures due to the concentrated light exposed into the solar cell. In this work, two different methods have been used to regulate the operating temperature of the solar cell without the interference of any other external mechanism. Two concepts were used to study the operating temperature of the solar cells are: i) use of Argon gas within the concentrator element, ii) incorporation of polymerdispersed liquid crystal films (PDLC) on top of the module. In both cases, the power was improved by 37 mW-47 mW when temperature was reduced by 10 degrees C and 4 degrees C for the Argon gas -filled module and PDLC integrated module, respectively. In addition, the temperature effect of the PDLC integrated module showed a unique nature of reduction of the short circuit current due to the orientation of the liquid crystal particle, which increased at a higher temperature. The current study, therefore, shows the greater potential of improving the operating efficiency and reduction of solar cell temperature, without the need for additional pumping power such as needed for photovoltaic thermal application. Crown Copyright (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study investigates two different methods, using Argon gas and polymer-dispersed liquid crystal films, to regulate the operating temperature of solar cells and improve power output. The PDLC integrated module shows a unique temperature effect, reducing short circuit current at higher temperatures, contributing to the optimization of photovoltaic system efficiency and performance.