Coupled aerodynamic–thermal analysis of photovoltaic performance in solar vehicles: A CFD-based study

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Chinese explanation / 中文解读

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Original abstract

This study presents a coupled aerodynamic–thermal computational framework for evaluating the performance of photovoltaic (PV) systems integrated into solar vehicles under realistic operating conditions. A three-dimensional Reynolds–Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) model employing the realizable k–ε turbulence model was developed to investigate the interaction between airflow, convective cooling, and PV electrical efficiency. Four representative solar vehicle geometries were analyzed under vehicle velocities ranging from 30 to 100 km/h and solar irradiation levels from 300 to 1000 W/m 2 , enabling a comprehensive assessment of aerodynamic resistance, thermal behavior, and energy generation. The simulations reveal that increasing vehicle velocity enhances convective cooling, reducing PV surface temperatures by up to 10–15 K and improving electrical efficiency depending on operating conditions. However, this thermal advantage is accompanied by a nonlinear increase in aerodynamic power demand, with streamlined configurations exhibiting significantly lower energy losses than less aerodynamic designs. In addition, local turbulence structures were found to strongly influence heat transfer performance, demonstrating that turbulence intensity plays a key role in determining PV operating temperatures beyond conventional drag-related metrics. The comparative results show that optimized vehicle geometries can simultaneously improve PV cooling and reduce aerodynamic penalties, leading to superior overall energy performance. By directly coupling aerodynamic flow characteristics with photovoltaic thermal behavior, the proposed CFD framework provides physically grounded design guidelines for the development of next-generation solar vehicles and highlights the importance of integrated aerodynamic and thermal optimization for maximizing renewable energy utilization in transportation applications.

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