Residential Combined Heat and Power
Channel: UNLVECE
Date: 31/05/2022

In the evolution of renewable energy sources one thing is for certain, photovoltaic (PV) panels will not be leaving any time soon. Constant resources are poured into optimizing these devices and they have now become incredibly cheap to produce when compared to those made a decade ago. More and more homeowners are purchasing PV panels so that they can do their part in creating cleaner energy production. While this is beneficial for the environment, there are still a few complications with these devices that need to be solved in order for them to operate at their most optimal performance. One of these complications, and the overall project design, arises when PV panels are introduced into hot environments. On average, PV panels have a maximum optimal operating temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Ironically, this becomes a problem where they receive the most irradiance, the desert. With higher-than-normal ambient temperatures (especially during the summer season), PV panels have a significant decrease in efficiency due to overheating. The solution presented here is a closed loop water cooling system to hopefully meet the optimal operating temperatures. Another feature that is included in this design utilizes the heat gathered from cooling the panels. The excess heat that comes off the PV panels would get injected into the homeowner’s water heater so that less resources are required, and overall energy efficiency of the household would increase.