Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
The use of phase change materials (PCMs) is widely investigated in different applications in the solar energy field. Most of the research works were directed to the investigation of performance indicators, while the limited number of the works has considered an economic aspect, which is crucial one towards potential large-scale applications. This work is focused on the overview of economic aspects related to the passive cooling techniques for photovoltaics, i.e. (PV-PCM) cooling setups. Analysis of influential economic parameters is vital to secure the techno-economic viability of the PV-PCM passive cooling configurations. In general, use of PCMs is an additional parameter that strongly affects economic viability. The herein conducted analysis revealed that most of the investigated PV-PCM cooling setups were not economically viable. The key reason was the relatively high unit cost of the PCM, as well as also ineffective design of the specific cooling techniques. The key factor that can improve the economic suitability of the PV-PCM cooling setups is the combination of the more efficient PV-PCM cooling designs followed by necessary investigation of the novel (alternative) PCMs, with lower unit cost and necessary optimization of the PCM layer. The outcomes of this work are useful for a deeper understanding of economic constraints for PV-PCM cooling setups and guidelines for the achievement of better economic indicators.Graphical abstractEconomy of PV-PCM passive cooling systems