Thermal management of PV based on latent energy storage of composite phase change material: A system-level analysis with pore-scale model

Perovskite Solar Cell (PSC) have recently emerged as exciting new candidates of Photovatics (PVs) for solar-to-electrical energy conversion. Nevertheless, one huge obstacle to its commercialization is how to improve its tolerance to operation at elevated temperatures. To address this issue, Composite Phase Change Material (CPCM) incorporated with a porous skeleton structure is proposed to integrate with PVs. In this structure, an important theoretical problem is that the temperature dependence of PV and the temperature control behavior of CPCMs interact with each other (bidirectional relationship). In this work, a pore-scale lattice Boltzmann phase change model is established to describe the dynamic thermal behavior of CPCMs and explore the roles of the bidirectional relationship between PVs and CPCMs, the change of power conversion efficiency influenced by temperature variation and glass transmissivity is discussed by comparing the overall liquid fraction of CPCMs, and the average temperature and power conversion efficiency of PVs. Furthermore, the situation of time-varying solar irradiation is discussed to mimic real application conditions. Results indicate that the neglecting temperature dependency of PVs leads to underestimation of PV surface temperatures and overestimation of power conversion efficiencies, while glass transmissivity provides reverse effects. These phenomena not only happen in constant solar irradiation but also in varying solar irradiation, calling for increasing attention to designing PV/CPCMs for varying heat flux conditions. The findings of this work establish a comprehensive manner toward integrated design of CPCMs for PV thermal control.