Thermal Analysis of Polymeric Composite Panels for Sustainable Energy Applications

Abstract

Polymeric composites are ideal materials for integrated photovoltaic (PV) and building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) applications. They are lightweight, scalable, and exhibit tenable electrical and thermal properties. To enhance heat management and module durability, this work numerically models a multilayer PV‐like structure comprising a silicon (Si) absorber, a polymeric composite insulation layer, and a glass substrate. Two potential composites, polyacrylamide–silicon dioxide (PAM-SiO₂) and polyacrylamide–boron nitride (PAM-BN), were examined as the functional back-sheet layer using COMSOL Multiphysics. Steady-state and transient one-dimensional heat transfer simulations were carried out with continuous solar irradiance (G=1000Wm^-2) for a duration of 1000 s, with a parameter sweep of the effective thermal conductivity (k_eff) of the composite. The simulations assessed surface and interface temperatures, internal heat flux, and PV efficiency using temperature-dependent performance. Results show that increasing (k_eff) in the PAM-SiO₂ layer improves heat dissipation but moderately raises heat losses to the substrate, offering good thermal stability for moderate‐efficiency systems. In contrast, PAM–BN with its higher intrinsic thermal conductivity and dielectric safety, significantly reduces the silicon cell temperature (by 1.3 K) and enhances the PV conversion efficiency by approximately +0.66%. The comparative analysis shows that PAM-SiO₂ composites provide cost‐effective thermal insulation and mechanical integrity. On the other side, PAM-BN composites deliver superior heat‐spreading performance. This makes them suitable for high‐power or high‐temperature BIPV applications.