Thermomechanical Investigation Of Pv Panels Behaviour Under Noct Conditions

Numerous works on the enhancement of photovoltaic cells' efficiency can been found in the literature. However, studies related to its durability are limited. For instance, solar radiation induced internal thermal stresses on the structure of photovoltaic (PV) panels has received little attention. These effects cannot be ignored when analyzing the panel's durability. The internal stresses are difficult to measure since a PV panel is a complex structure composed by different layers, which causes a non-uniform distribution of the temperature inside the panel. In this work, fully coupled thermo-mechanical finite element simulations were performed with the commercial code ABAQUS/CAE to estimate these stresses. Temperature variations and local stress states are estimated throughout the PV panel thickness under nominal operating conditions.