Study of Vertically Oriented Solar Battery by Exposure of Concentrated Solar Radiation

Abstract

Solar power is one of the largest sectors of the global electric and heat power industry. In search of new energy sources, scientists and engineers around the world are increasingly turning their attention to solar batteries, which can be a suitable replacement for non-renewable energy sources. Vertically oriented solar batteries will generate electricity throughout the daylight hours, which eliminates use of additional equipment. The paper proposes a 3D model of a solar battery with a vertical orientation of its modules, as well as the calculation and evaluation of temperature characteristics and the range of efficiency variations obtained under conditions of both the diurnal and seasonal changes in ambient temperature, and the power density changes of concentrated solar radiation, the maximum values of which were chosen equal to 1; 5 and 10 kW/m2. The dependences of the maximum values of the solar battery temperature and the temperature gradient inside it, as well as the dependences of the minimum, average and maximum values of the radiative heat flux to the solar battery surface in the presence and absence of temperature stabilization of the heat sink backside versus the time of day in the middle of January and July have been plotted. As calculations have shown, at the solar radiation concentration of 10 kW/m2, the efficiency in July is increased by more than 2 times due to the use of thermoelectric converters in the battery. Moreover, according to the obtained results, when the solar modules are oriented vertically, temperature gradients and, consequently, the total efficiency of the solar battery and power generation time will be greater compared to the horizontal position of the solar modules, which will reduce operational costs.