Determination of electrical characteristics and temperature of PV modules by means of a coupled electrical-thermal model

Photovoltaic (PV) modules are commonly tested under standard test conditions. However, the performance of the PV module is highly dependent on the location, climate condition, and sun spectrum. Simulation is one of the inexpensive and practical approaches to estimate the performance of PV modules under different climatic conditions. Modeling of PV modules can be complex because different physical phenomena must be coupled and interact with each other. There are several existing multi-physic models, but they are either complex such as numerical models or highly simplified with a lot of assumptions. In this work, we introduce a thermal-electrical model to evaluate the performance of PV modules under different climate conditions based on a previously developed optical-electrical model. The model calculates the electrical parameters and temperature of the PV module after the module reaches the steady-state condition. The temperature, heat flow of all layers of the module, and the heat transfer thermal resistances can be determined. Comparison of the simulation and experimental results shows a deviation of around 1%, which indicates that the simulation and experimental results are in good agreement. Published under license by AIP Publishing.