Effect of a radiative cooling emitter with indium tin oxide near-infrared heat mirror on the performance of photovoltaic module

ABSTRACT

Recent research on cooling photovoltaic (PV) modules through radiative cooling methods has attracted significant interest, due to the temperature reduction that enhances the power generation of PV modules. This study uses a transparent-radiative heat mirror (TRHM) for cooling silicon PV modules, utilizing a combination of an indium tin oxide (ITO) layer and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to enable visible light transmission while reflecting unnecessary heating photons. Fabricated by a low-cost method, the novelty honeycomb-like surface microstructure of PDMS enhances the material’s emissivity. Combined ITO layer with honeycomb-like PDMS, the film results in a reflectivity of 0.65 in the near-infrared range (1.1–2.5 μm, NIR) and an emissivity of 0.93 in the mid-far infrared range (8–13 μm, MIR). PV modules covered with TRHM (PV-TRHM) demonstrated a significant emissivity of 0.90 in MIR, leading to a temperature of 44.2°C, which has a 7.2°C reduction compared to the 53.6°C bare PV. Additionally, a 0.81% increase in power conversion efficiency (PCE) was achieved. These approaches hold promise for efficient PV heat management in engineering projects.

KEYWORDS:

• Radiative cooling emitter
• heat management
• photovoltaic module cooling
• optical design

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant no. 61774084], the Special Fund of Jiangsu Province for the Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements [grant no. BA2022204], the Double Carbon Special Fund of Jiangsu Province [grant no. BE2022005 and BE2022006], and the Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of NUAA [grant no. xcxjh20220613].

Notes on contributors

Jiuchuan Zeng

Jiuchuan Zeng is a postgraduate student at Nanjing university of Aeronautics and Astronaitics. Her reseach interest is Crystal silicon solar cell and module technology.

Honglie Shen

Honglie Shen received his Ph.D. degree from the Shanghai Institute of Metallurgy, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1990. He has published over 480 publications in SCI, EI, and core journals, including 300 SCI papers, with an H-index of 28. Currently, he serves as a professor at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. His research interests span Crystal Silicon Solar Cell and Module Technology, New Functional Thin-film and Sensor Technology, Compounds in Semiconductor Materials and Nanodevices, and Thermal Functional Materials and Application Technology.

Kai Gao

Kai Gao received the PH.D. degree in Nanjing university of Aeronautics and Astronaitics. His reseach interest is Thermal functional materials and application technology.

Yajun Xu

Yajun Xu received the PH.D. degree in Nanjing university of Aeronautics and Astronaitics. His reseach interest is New functional thin-film and sensor technology.

Yufang Li

Yufang Li received her Ph.D. degree from the Metal Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2004. She has published over 20 papers in domestic academic journals, including more than 10 collected by SCI. Notably, one of her papers was published in Nano Energy, an international high-impact journal with an impact factor of 11.2. Her research interests focus on Intermetallic compound photoelectric materials.

Hechao Li

Hechao Li is a PH.D. student at Nanjing university of Aeronautics and Astronaitics. His reseach interest is Crystal silicon solar cell and module technology and New functional thin-film and sensor technology.

Long Wang

Long Wang is a postgraduate student at Nanjing university of Aeronautics and Astronaitics. His reseach interest is Intermetallic compound photoelectric material.