Data analysis and review of the research landscape in performance-enhancing thermal management strategies of photovoltaic technology

[Display omitted] •Data analysis of performance-enhancing thermal management strategies (PETS) for PV technology.•Prominent authors and organizations shaping the landscape of PETS are presented.•By using keyword analysis, trending topics, technological insights, and the evolution of research are explored.•Prospective of the primary issues and recommendations for PETS are proposed. New researchers in Performance-Enhancing Thermal Management Strategies (PETS) for photovoltaic (PV) technology struggle with scattered data, hindering their efforts. This research gap is addressed by extracting key information from 1,474 documents in the Web of Science and Scopus databases and conducting a thorough data analysis. The findings reveal three phases of the trend inception, gradual growth period, tech-advanced period, and rapid progress. The bibliometric results show a 24.98% growth rate, 25.01 citations per document, 2,577 researchers involved, and 275 production sources. China, India, and other Asian countries are the main collaborators in this field, emphasizing the impact of hot climate regions in Asia on the choice of PETS methods. The main researchers collaborating with PETS are Sopian. K, Jie Ji, and Pie Gang. Furthermore, a review of keywords suggests that most experimental and numerical studies have prioritized temporal and performance outcomes, often neglecting long-term practical viability considerations. Future research should prioritize the 4E (Energy, Exergy, Economic and Environmental) analysis approach to address this gap effectively. Advancements in evaporative cooling and PVT technology have evolved in offshore solar plants, PV with heat pumps, and building-integrated PV (BIPV). This analysis sets the stage for future PV advancements in PETS technology.