Exergy Analyses of Solar Irradiation Exposed Photovoltaic Panel and Water Film Effect

Abstract

The term exergy is used in this paper to assess the relationship between solar radiation and solar panels. It derives its input values from temperature measurements carried out in the environment and on the top surface of the photovoltaic panel with and without a thin film of water. Exergy values were generated from the obtained values. The effect of conductive and convective heat transfer through the thin film of water was taken into consideration and seen to improve the exergy output. Results obtained also showed the actual design point of the PV panel (125W) with a manufacturer’s rating of 21.6V used in the experiment to be 20.13V. At this design point exergy loss was found to be zero, and exergy output equaled the exergy input.