Abstract—The following paper presents concisely the operation principles of photovoltaic cells and their main parameters. The efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) cell drop as their operating temperature increases especially under high insolation levels. The aim of the paper is to improve the performance of PV cell by dissipating excess heat, there by maintaining effective temperature of the cell which will enhance performance of the system. The work also deals with the comparing of the performance of PV cell with and without heat sink. During the study an optimum performance temperature was determined and heat sink mechanisms are used to maintain the determined temperature in PV cell.

Index Terms—Fin, Heat sink, Photovoltaic (PV) cells, Temperature

Cite: Pramod N and K S Shashishekar, "Performance Evaluation of Photovoltaic Cell with and without Thermal Sink," International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, Vol.1, No.3, pp. 272-276, October 2012.