Validation of an outdoor efficiency model for photovoltaic modules

The study of the efficiency of photovoltaic modules in outdoor conditions allows determining their correct operation and to detect abnormal behavior. Most efficiency models developed use experimental data that are difficult to obtain as they require specialized equipment and a long measurement time under laboratory conditions to identify or adjust the model parameters. In this article, we propose a linear equation that estimates the efficiency of photovoltaic modules using irradiance and back panel temperatura measurements as input variables. The main contribution is that the parameters of the proposed model can be obtained directly from the reference information (IEC61853-1 power values) without any data regression. The proposed model was validated using experimental data obtained from three different climatic zones during a whole year. The model shows the best fit to the data of four analyzed models, and its normalized root mean square deviation for all photovoltaic modules is less than 3.6%; this dispersion could be explained by the fact that the outdoor data have an uncertainty of around 3.0%