Reliable and cost-effective microchannel cooling for hotspot suppression in high-concentration photovoltaic modules

Ali, Abdallah Y.M. (author), Abo-Zahhad, Essam M. (author), Poredoš, Primož (author), Elkady, M.F. (author), El-Shazly, A.H. (author)

Hotspot formation in high-concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) modules reduces electrical efficiency and accelerates material degradation, limiting system reliability and lifespan. To address this challenge, this study proposes a multi-compartment microchannel heat sink (MCHS) design to improve cooling uniformity in dense-array HCPV modules. A conventional single-compartment MCHS was reconfigured into two- and four-compartment designs, maintaining identical external dimensions for manufacturability. Three-dimensional CFD simulations in ANSYS, validated against published experimental and numerical data, were used to assess thermal, hydraulic, and electrical performance under varying coolant flow rates and flow arrangements. The four-compartment MCHS outperformed all other configurations, achieved 76 % better temperature uniformity, reduced average module temperature by 17.7 %, and increased the Nusselt number by 71 % compared to the baseline at 400 g/min (Re ≈ 800). Electrical efficiency improved by 1.7 %, exergy efficiency by 2.3 %, and power output by 3 W. A Figure of Merit (FoM) analysis confirmed up to 33 % higher thermal–hydraulic efficiency relative to the baseline. Arrhenius-based reliability modelling further indicated a potential lifetime extension of more than threefold. Thermo-economic analysis showed a 2.16 % higher electrical power gain and a payback period shortened to 3.28 years. These results demonstrate that multi-compartment MCHS designs provide a scalable, reliable, and economically viable solution for hotspot suppression, enhancing efficiency, uniformity, and economic returns for both terrestrial and space-constrained HCPV applications.

• Language: English
• Keywords: uniform cooling, hotspot suppression, multijunction solar cells, thermo-economic analysis, lifetime reliability
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 15 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 280, pt. 5, art. 128516
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-182706
• UDC: 621.383.51:536.24
• ISSN on article: 1359-4311
• DOI: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2025.128516
• COBISS.SI-ID: 278879747
• Publication date in RUL: 21.05.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Applied thermal engineering
• Shortened title: Appl. therm. eng.
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1359-4311
• COBISS.SI-ID: 1861910

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: uniformno hlajenje, zatiranje vročih točk, večspojne sončne celice, termoekonomska analiza, življenjska zanesljivost

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: H2020
• Project number: 945380
• Name: EUTOPIA-Science and Innovation Fellowships
• Acronym: EUTOPIA-SIF

• Funder: E-JUST - Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology
• Funding programme: Science and Technology Development Fund
• Project number: 33515