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Innovative Concentrating PV System Integrates Cooling and Waste Heat Recovery Technologies

Scientists from Iran’s Babol Noshirvani University of Technology have designed a concentrating PV (CPV) system that combines parabolic reflectors, a paraffin-based nanomaterials cooling system, and thermoelectric generators (TEGs) to enhance efficiency. Simulations show the cooling system boosts PV efficiency by 16.46% in clean conditions.

The system employs SolTrace software for reflector modeling and heat flux analysis, paired with Ansys Fluent for 3D thermal behavior studies. Adding fins to the cooling system improves heat dissipation, enhancing efficiency by 6.77% in clean conditions and 3.78% in dusty conditions. Dust accumulation, however, can reduce efficiency by 46.48% in just an hour.

The combined approach, including TEG integration, improves electrical output power by 2.94 times compared to standard PV panels.