![](/ii/tfec2018.jpg)
ISSN Online: 2379-1748
ISBN Flash Drive: 978-1-56700-472-4
ISBN Online: 978-1-56700-471-7
3rd Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference (TFEC)
A NUMERICAL STUDY FOR APPROXIMATING CELLS TEMPERATURE INSIDE A PV MODULE
Resumo
With help of a 2-D finite element (FE) based numerical method, various thermal models for a typical crystalline silicon PV module have been developed. The purpose of each thermal model is to find the temperature distribution across the cross-section of the PV module, so that the cells temperature can be approximated. The cells temperature can be used to estimate the electrical performance of the PV module via an electrical model. Better the prediction accuracy of the thermal model, lesser will be the prediction error in the electrical model. These developed thermal models are fully transient and are also capable of performing steady-state analysis. The different 2-D models have been developed based on different modeling assumptions for each. Each model has been validated using both the manufacturer's provided datasheet information for the relevant PV module and also the experimental data. All the models have been compared based on their modelling assumptions, ease of implementation, numerical accuracy, computational speed and their computational requirement. All the developed FE models in this work have more or less the same accuracy and same computational requirements. The comparatively best among these has been used for two parametric studies on the effect of variation in ambient temperature and the wind speed on cell's temperature. The parametric studies show that the ambient temperature has a more severe effect on cell temperature as compared to the wind speed. Moreover, the cell temperature variation with respect to the ambient temperature is linear and with respect to wind speed is inversely logarithmic. In summary, an increase in ambient temperature increases the cell temperature and an increase in wind speed decreases the cell temperature.