Abstract:
The aim of the present study is to evaluation and validation of equivalent five-parameter model performance and also assesses the suitability of a mono-crystalline photovoltaic module for use under different weather (cold and hot) and sky (clear, cloudy and overcast) conditions. The modeling of the five-parameter models was based on the minimum usual of input data which are usually provided by manufacturer’s datasheet. The effectiveness of this approach is evaluated through comparison between the results of the proposed model; the data provided by the manufacturer and with other methods exist in the literature. Due to the important effect of the cell temperature on the performance of the PV module, several
models have been developed in literature to estimate it. In this study, two prediction models, the linear model based on the estimated value of the Ross coefficient (k) and the thermal model, were investigated their suitability in the prediction of PV module temperatures under different weather and sky conditions. Furthermore, monthly, daily and hourly performance parameters (i.e., performance ratio, efficiency and output energy) are calculated and compared on the basis of one year of data accumulated under outdoor conditions. The results are divided into three sections; the first section presents the hourly performance under cold and hot conditions and under different types of sky conditions.
The second section presents the daily performance during cold and hot months. In the last section, the monthly performances over one year are studied. Finally, after one year of operational use under desert environment, the global degradation of electrical characteristics such as I-V curves, open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current and maximum power point are evaluated at standard test conditions (STC). The results suggest that the module was degraded of about 3.5% and 0.13% per year, respectively at short-circuit current and maximum power point.
