TITLE:
Investigation of the Effect of Temperature Coefficients on Mono-Crystalline Silicon PV Module Installed in Kumasi, Ghana
AUTHORS:
Gabriel Takyi, Frank Kwabena Nyarko
KEYWORDS:
Photovoltaics, Measurement, Irradiance, Temperature Coefficient, Sub-Saharan Africa
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Power and Energy Engineering,
Vol.8 No.9,
September
21,
2020
ABSTRACT: The performance of solar PV modules is significantly affected by
temperature. This paper focuses on the determination of the effect of temperature
on a commercial mono-crystalline silicon PV module whose temperature coefficients
were not provided by the manufacturer for installation in Kumasi, Ghana, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) ambient. In order to determine the effect of
temperature on the output characteristics of the module, the temperature
coefficients of current, voltage and power were determined. First of all, the
module was cooled to a temperature between 10°C - 15°C in a cooling chamber, covered with cardboard paper
before the outdoor electrical tests using Daystar I-V Curve tracer. The results
show that as temperature increases, irradiance decreases significantly leading
to a decrease in output power (Pmax). The open circuit voltage (Voc) also decreases, whilst short
circuit current (Isc)
increases slightly. The temperature coefficients were obtained from the slopes
of the plots of temperature against Pmax, Isc and Voc. The slopes were used to
determine how the respective output characteristics are affected as the module’s
temperature rises. The temperature coefficients for power, voltage and current
were obtained from the slopes of the graphs using the IVPC software and found
to be .313 W/°C, .11 V/°C and 0.004 A/°C respectively. The results indicate that output
power is a decreasing function of temperature (that is power decreases when
temperature increases). This information will be useful to system developers,
manufacturers and investors seeking to
procure PV modules for installation in Kumasi, Ghana. The temperature
coefficients of commercial PV modules could be independently verified
using the technique employed in this study. Future work will focus on the
long-term effect of temperature on the electrical performance characteristics.