Thermal transfer simulating for concentrator photovoltaic module under concentration condition

Abstract

Under concentration conditions, it is important to manage the operating temperature of a concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) module, because a high-density solar energy enters into the solar cell. We measured the temperature of the CPV module. In outdoor operation, the back surface temperature of the CPV module was 6.2 K lower than aluminum stage temperature. Moreover, we developed a thermal transfer model for the CPV module and calculated the temperature in CPV module as functions of the thermal resistance and the heat transfer coefficient using a thermal transfer simulator. The simulation results showed that the lower thermal resistance between the solar cell and the back surface and higher heat transfer coefficient of back surface were effective for the reduction of operating temperature. The estimated heat transfer coefficient was comparatively near with the theoretical value. By using the developed model, we can estimate the operating temperature in concentrating operation.