Unraveling Temperature Distribution Within Crystalline Silicon PV Modules by Different Finite Element Method-Based Thermal Modeling Approaches

Abstract

In this work, the steady-state spatial temperature distribution in commercial high-efficiency crystalline silicon PV modules is studied using different FEM-based thermal models that encompass conductive, convective, and radiative heat transfer mechanisms. The results show that the lateral temperature distribution within the PV module depends on the module inclination angle and may be highly inhomogeneous, with a temperature difference of ≈5 °C between its warmest and coolest solar cells. Furthermore, It is demonstrated that wind plays a crucial role in determining the operating temperature of PV devices. Specifically, it is shown that forced convection has an even more significant positive effect at higher wind speeds and larger PV module dimensions since the transformation of laminar to turbulent wind contributes to additional cooling. Finally, the power losses associated with the lateral temperature variations across the PV module are analyzed. The results show that the effect of temperature inhomogeneity plays a negligible role in the performance of standard single-junction silicon PV modules due to a very small temperature coefficient of the solar cell short-circuit current.