Experimental study of slope angle and low E glazing effects on photovoltaic module

Abstract

The intensity of solar radiation received by the PV Module can be maximized by installing a PV module with a slope angle. Besides, when the intensity of solar radiation increases, the surface temperature of PV also tends to increase, which decrease PV power output. Temperature Surface can also be reduced by the additional glazing with low emissivity. By knowing the appropriate angle of inclination and the glazing addition, it will able to maximize light energy (photon) and minimize heat energy received by PV surface. So the system can obtained maximum output power and minimum surface temperature. The heat transfer can be determined by analyzing the thermal resistance occurring from the sun down to the PV surface and from the PV surface to the surroundings. The test was performed using a commercial PV module with 180 Watt Peak power, where the test results were discussed and presented. The results shown that PV module facing North with slope angle 30° has the highest output power. The heat release was large enough compared to the other slope angle variation. Besides, the addition of glazing system decreases the output power due to its medium transmittance about 70% and the temperature of PV module also decrease due to low emissivity about 0.26.