Effect of Nanomaterials Addition to Phase Change Materials on Heat Transfer in Solar Panels under Iraqi Atmospheric Conditions

It is common knowledge that phase-change materials are used for the purpose of thermal storage because of the characteristics that are exclusive to these materials and not found in others. These characteristics include a large capacity for absorbing heat and a large capacity for releasing heat when the phase changes; however, these materials have a low thermal conductivity. This paper presents the results of an experimental study that investigated the impact that nanoparticles of copper oxide had on reducing the temperature of solar panels. The phase change substance that was used was determined to be beeswax. The impact of adding nanoscale copper oxide at a concentration of 0.05% of the total mass of wax was investigated and compared to a reference solar panel that did not contain any nanoscale additions. The findings demonstrated that the incorporation of nanoscale copper oxide brought about a reduction of three °C in the plate's average temperature as well as a one percent improvement in its electrical efficiency. In cases where it seems that the use of nanoparticles might potentially enhance the performance of integrated solar energy systems that contain phase change.