A research team from Algeria’s Kasdi Merbah University has developed a novel smart water-spray cooling system for PV panels.
“The novelty of this research lies in the design of a smart water-spray cooling system based on an Arduino controller,” corresponding author Mahmoud Bourouis told pv magazine. “The system is activated only when the temperature of the PV panel exceeds a predefined threshold, which enhances energy efficiency while minimizing water consumption—an important consideration in desert environments.”
“We consider additional environmental parameters, such as wind speed and humidity. We will also investigate alternative cooling techniques, including phase change materials (PCM) and nanofluids, to further enhance the efficiency of PV panels operating in desert environments.”
The system prototype was tested at an experimental setup in the arid climate of Ouargla, a city in the northeastern Algerian Sahara. It featured two identical 390 W monocrystalline modules—one equipped with a cooling system, the other serving as a reference. Both were installed at a 31° tilt, facing south. For the cooled module, water was pumped from a storage tank at 3.5 L/min through a PVC pipe mounted along the upper edge of the panel. The pipe had nine uniformly spaced outlets, each 3 mm in diameter and angled at approximately 40°.
On 9–10 June and 1–2 July 2024, the system provided continuous, uninterrupted cooling. On 11–12 June and 3–4 July 2024, it was upgraded to a smart configuration using a digital temperature sensor and controller. The cooling was automatically activated when the module’s rear surface temperature exceeded 41.5 C and deactivated when it dropped below 38.5 C.
During the eight test days in June and July, solar irradiation in Ouargla ranged from 128.8 W/m² to 982 W/m², and ambient temperatures varied between 30 C and 45 C. Measurements were recorded from 08:30 to 16:00 at 30-minute intervals.
“The continuous cooling system significantly improved the PV panel’s performance. Output power increased from 272.1 W to 350.5 W, while module temperature dropped from 58.6 C to 36.7 C, resulting in an efficiency improvement of up to 28.8%,” said Bourouis.
Meanwhile, the smart cooling system raised power generation from 251 W to 337 W and reduced module temperature from 56.1 C to 35.7 C. The intelligent system achieved an average cooling efficiency of 15.5%, with water consumption of 63.86 L/kWh, pump operating time of 75 min/day, and pump power of 30.6 W. By comparison, the continuous cooling system delivered a similar efficiency of 15.44% but required substantially more water and pump operation: 391.95 L/kWh, 450 min/day, and 183.6 W, respectively.
“Regarding costs, intelligent cooling is decidedly cheaper with yearly electricity expenses of €0.07020/W ($0.081/W) than continuous processes at €0.07514/W and non-cooling systems at €0.07135/W,” the team explained. “It can be said that both cooling systems are effective in countering the negative impact of high temperature on the efficiency of solar cells in PV systems. Though absolute power may be higher in the case of continuous cooling, the benefits of gent cooling in terms of cost, consumption, and use of water make it the preferred choice in desert conditions.”
The results were presented in “Enhancing the efficiency of solar photovoltaic systems via smart cooling in arid environments,” published in Applied Thermal Engineering. Scientists from Algeria’s Kasdi Merbah University, France’s University of Paris, and Spain’s University of Rovira i Virgili have contributed to the study.
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