Abstract
The increasing global demand for renewable energy has accelerated the deployment of photovoltaic (PV) systems as a sustainable electricity-generation technology. However, the operating temperature of PV modules significantly influences their electrical efficiency, reliability, and service lifetime. Elevated module temperatures reduce photovoltaic conversion efficiency because of the negative temperature coefficient of semiconductor materials and may contribute to long-term degradation of module components. Therefore, effective thermal management techniques are essential for improving PV system performance. This review investigates passive cooling approaches for photovoltaic modules, with emphasis on natural convection enhancement, heat sink integration, and other non-powered thermal regulation methods. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has become an important analytical tool for understanding heat transfer mechanisms, airflow patterns, temperature distribution, and cooling effectiveness in PV systems. This paper evaluates the role of CFD modelling in predicting thermal behaviour and comparing passive cooling configurations under various operating conditions. The review highlights that passive cooling techniques can reduce PV module temperature by improving heat dissipation through enhanced convection and conduction pathways without requiring additional electrical energy. Heat sinks provide increased surface area for heat transfer, while natural convection-based designs offer simple, reliable, and low-maintenance cooling solutions. The findings indicate that CFD-based evaluation provides valuable insight for optimising cooling geometries and selecting suitable thermal management strategies for PV applications.
The study recommends further development of hybrid passive designs that combine improved airflow channels, advanced heat transfer materials, and optimised structural configurations to maximise PV efficiency and durability.
Keywords: Photovoltaic modules; passive cooling; computational fluid dynamics; natural convection; heat transfer; thermal management