Power Effectiveness Factor: A Method for Evaluating Photovoltaic Enhancement Techniques

Photovoltaic (PV) module enhancers, such as coolers and reflectors, are advanced technologies aimed at improving PV performance. The conventional approach for selecting the optimal PV enhancer relies on the observation of the highest power. While effective in comparing different enhancer designs, this method does not determine the maximum performance that the PV enhancer can achieve. To address this limitation, a new methodology is introduced that overcomes this drawback. It relies on three essential parameters: the net power gain with an enhancer, the power output of a PV module without an enhancer, and the maximum power of a PV module under standard test conditions. The impact of each parameter on the proposed method is analyzed, and enhancers are classified based on the method’s output. Maximum or minimum performance is observed when the method’s value is either in unity with or matches the ratio of a PV module’s power output (without an enhancer) to its maximum power under standard conditions. To validate this approach in practical applications, experimental data from previous studies are examined. The results confirm that this technique can be applied for real-world cases and can effectively categorize PV enhancers, offering valuable insights for researchers, designers, and manufacturers.