Test Method for Electrical Performance of Photovoltaic Cells Using Reference Cells Under Simulated Sunlight

In the field of energy supply to agro-industrial facilities, there is an increasing interest in the development of structures and engineering systems using renewable energy sources, including solar concentrator thermal and photovoltaic modules that combine photovoltaic modules and solar collectors in one structure. The use of the technology of concentrator heat and photovoltaic modules makes it possible to increase the electrical performance of solar cells by cooling them during operation, and significantly reduces the need for centralized electricity and heat supply to enterprises of the agroindustrial complex. (Research purpose) The research purpose is in numerical modeling of thermal processes occurring in a solar concentrator heat-photovoltaic module. (Materials and methods) Authors used analytical methods for mathematical modeling of a solar concentrator heat and photovoltaic module. Authors implemented a mathematical model of a solar concentrator heat and photovoltaic module in the ANSYS Fluent computer program. The distribution contours of temperature and pressure of the coolant in the module channel were obtained for different values of the coolant flow rate at the inlet. The verification of the developed model of the module on the basis of data obtained in an analytical way has been performed. (Results and discussion) The results of comparing the calculated data with the results of computer modeling show a high convergence of the information obtained with the use of a computer model, the relative error is within acceptable limits. (Conclusions) The developed design of the solar concentrator heat and photovoltaic module provides effective cooling of photovoltaic cells (the temperature of photovoltaic cells is in the operating range) with a module service life of at least twenty-five years. The use of a louvered heliostat in the developed design of a solar concentrator heat and photovoltaic module can double the performance of the concentrator.

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Analytical Predictions of Liquid and Air Photovoltaic/Thermal, Flat-Plate Collector Performance

Journal of Solar Energy Engineering ◽

10.1115/1.3266256 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 103 (4) ◽

pp. 291-298 ◽

Cited By ~ 78

Author(s):

P. Raghuraman

Keyword(s):

Total Energy ◽

Flat Plate ◽

Temperature Difference ◽

Photovoltaic Cells ◽

Electrical Performance ◽

One Dimensional ◽

Design Recommendations ◽

Flat Plate Collector

Two separate one-dimensional analyses have been developed for the prediction of the thermal and electrical performance of both liquid and air flat-plate, photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collectors. The analyses account for the temperature difference between the primary insolation absorber (the photovoltaic cells) and secondary absorber (a thermal absorber flat plate). The results of the analyses are compared with test measurements, and therefrom design recommendations are made to maximize the total energy extracted from the collectors.

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