The effects of climate change on photovoltaic solar production in hot regions

Abstract

The work of solar cells and their production of electrical energy have been affected by climate change, especially in hot regions which became significantly hotter and still receive relatively high levels of solar radiation throughout the year. Higher ambient temperature and solar radiation result in higher PV cell temperature and, therefore, the reduction in PV module power output and efficiency. This study investigates how a PV module performs throughout the year in a hot region by considering the variations in cell temperature resulting from changes in ambient temperature and solar radiation every day. The tilt angles and two-axis tracking have also been examined. Results indicate that the two-axis solar tracking system is critical to use in hot regions for obtaining higher output power. Therefore, part of this power can be used to cool solar panels using various methods to keep their efficiency high, such as operating air fans or operating pumps to cool them with coolant.