The global electricity consumption has been increasing continuously at the rate of 3% per year; mainly due to the increase of population, techno economic development and the people's needs to create a comfortable life environment. However, the overuse of conventional fossil fuels to cover the entire energy demand has negative impacts on the environment and leads to an increase in global warming, air pollution, climate change and acid rain. In addition, these traditional resources are predicted to be exhausted within the next few centuries. Recently, in order to eliminate the above mentioned problems and to deal with the environmental and economic challenges that are involved in electricity generation, renewable and sustainable energy sources have supposed to be considered as promising power generating sources as they are secure, clean and environment friendly. Among several sources of renewable energy, solar energy is an unexhausted and clean energy source which supplies the Earth by 4000 trillion kWh of insolation daily. Different technologies such as photovoltaic, photothermal and photochemistry are used to convert solar radiation into electric, thermal and chemical energy, respectively.

Electricity can be generated from solar energy in two main ways, photovoltaic systems (PV) and concentrating solar power systems (CSP). However, PV technology is the most used application of sunlight for electricity production in household autonomous systems or in grid connected systems. The solar PV technology has been deeply investigated and developed within the last two decades and has become one of the most important sources of renewable energy after hydro and wind power. PV power generation is characterised by small footprint, low maintenance cost and other many advantages such as operational simplicity, absence of moving parts and noiseless operation. Moreover, the significant decrease in PV modules cost, that contributes importantly to the total PV system cost, led to a substantial expansion in the installation of PV systems and large mega scale PV power plants all over the world. By the end of 2018, the worldwide solar PV power generation has increased by 31% and represented the highest absolute generation growth (+136 TWh) of all renewable energy technologies. Moreover, the PV power generation has been expected to increase from 580 TWh in 2018 to around 3300 TWh in 2030. The photovoltaic power conversion is the direct conversion of sunlight into electricity by the use of semiconductor materials, which are the main compound of PV cells manufacturing. Semiconductor materials are classified into different groups, specifically silicon PV cells such as monocrystalline (m-Si) and polycrystalline (p-Si), thin film PV cells such as copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), gallium arsenide (GaAs), cadmium telluride (CdTe) and there are also dye-sensitized solar cells and organic/polymer material cells.

Cooling Strategies for Large-Scale PV Inverters in Hot, Dry, High-Solar-Radiance Regions

In hot, dry regions with high solar radiation, cooling PV inverters is crucial to maintain efficiency and prevent overheating. Effective strategies include:

1. Forced Air Cooling: Uses fans to circulate air over components, though filters may be needed to prevent dust buildup common in dry areas.

2. Liquid Cooling: Circulates liquid coolants (e.g., water-glycol) through heat exchangers to remove heat, providing superior cooling in extreme temperatures.

3. Hybrid Cooling: Combines air and liquid cooling, adjusting to heat levels for greater flexibility and efficiency.

4. Heat Sinks with Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs): Passive cooling via heat sinks and TIMs to enhance heat dissipation.

5. Phase Change Materials (PCMs): Absorb excess heat and store thermal energy, helping stabilize inverter temperatures during peak sun hours.

These strategies are essential for maintaining inverter performance in challenging environments.

Effective cooling strategies for mitigating heat-related issues in large-scale photovoltaic (PV) inverters in hot, dry, and high solar radiance regions include: