Abstract
The performance of photovoltaic (PV) arrays are affected by the operating temperature, which is influenced by thermal losses to the ambient environment. The factors affecting thermal losses include wind speed, wind direction, and ambient temperature. The purpose of this work is to analyze how the aforementioned factors affect array efficiency, temperature, and heat transfer coefficient/thermal loss factor. Data on ambient and array temperatures, wind speed and direction, solar irradiance, and electrical output were collected from a PV array mounted on a CanmetENERGY facility in Varennes, Canada, and analyzed. The results were compared with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and existing results from PVsyst. The findings can be summarized into three points. First, ambient temperature and wind speed are important factors in determining PV performance, while wind direction seems to play a minor role. Second, CFD simulations found that temperature variation on the PV array surface is greater at lower wind speeds, and decreases at higher wind speeds. Lastly, an empirical correlation of heat transfer coefficient/thermal loss factor has been developed.
Highlights
It is well established that photovoltaic (PV) efficiency is dependent on temperature.The temperature of PV arrays is affected by factors such as ambient temperature and wind speed [1,2,3,4]
computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted to study the influence of wind speed on thermal loss factor/heat transfer coefficient, temperature distribution, and modes of heat transfer
The relationships between ambient temperature, wind speed, and wind direction on PV electrical output were analyzed in this work
Summary
It is well established that photovoltaic (PV) efficiency is dependent on temperature.The temperature of PV arrays is affected by factors such as ambient temperature and wind speed [1,2,3,4]. There are three approaches to study the effects of ambient temperature and wind speed on PV temperature: wind tunnel experiments, field measurement, and simulations In these approaches, researchers aim to determine the heat transfer coefficient directly or obtain a dimensionless Nusselt number from these experiments. The purpose is to illustrate two points Many of these empirical correlations are based on structured equation forms (e.g., linear, power law, boundary layer equation forms) [4], and that the constants/coefficients are determined empirically. These empirical constants/coefficients can differ significantly and depend on the PV orientation relative to the wind, material roughness, solar irradiance, etc. Sartori [6] concluded that determining an empirical equation for general application is likely not possible
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