<![CDATA[This study aims to analyze and compare the electrical and thermal performance of a conventional photovoltaic (PV) panel and an air-cooled Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) system under outdoor operating conditions. The research employed an experimental method involving three system configurations a conventional PV panel without cooling, an air-cooled PV/T system, and an air-cooled PV/T system integrated with a Solar Charge Controller (SCC) and a 12 V battery. A 50 Wp monocrystalline solar panel was used as the test object, while the evaluated parameters included panel temperature, output power, and electrical efficiency. The results indicate that the air-cooled PV/T system with an SCC exhibited the best thermal performance, achieving a maximum panel temperature of 42.90°C, which was 12.35°C (approximately 22.35%) lower than that of the conventional PV panel, which reached 55.25°C. In terms of output power, the conventional PV panel produced the highest maximum output power of 36.50 W, whereas the air-cooled PV/T system with an SCC delivered a maximum net output power of 9.80 W with more stable operating performance. Regarding electrical efficiency, the conventional PV panel achieved a maximum efficiency of 14.90%, while the air-cooled PV/T system with an SCC attained a maximum efficiency of 6.20%, exhibiting a more stable efficiency trend throughout the testing period. Overall, the implementation of an air-cooling system in the PV/T configuration was proven effective in maintaining a stable operating temperature and preserving the electrical performance of the solar panel under tropical environmental conditions. ]]>
