Role of the wind speed in the evolution of the temperature of the PV module: Comparison of prediction models

Abstract

The prediction of the PV module temperature is necessary for the dimensioning of photovoltaic systems, particularly in desert areas where the very high temperature of the module can significantly affect the performance PV. Several mathematical models were developed to predict the temperature of the PV module. However, some models neglect the effect of wind speed (like NOCT). This factor, responsible of cooling PV module by convection, must be studied to predict better the evolution of the module temperature in any climate condition. For this, we followed the temperature of a monocrystalline silicon PV module. We then compare the evolution of the measured temperature with NOCT and SNL models according to the wind speed. The results show that even with the SNL model that takes into consideration wind speed, the predicted and measured temperature are similar only in high wind speed range.