Infrared Thermography study of the temperature effect on the performance of photovoltaic cells and panels

Abstract

Silicon solar cells are widely used in the Photovoltaic (PV) industry. The silicon PV electrical performance is described by its current-voltage (I-V) characteristic, which is a function of the device used and material properties.The PV cell efficiency is strongly temperature dependent. This work studies the electric performance of a polycrystalline Si solar panel under different atmospheric conditions by using thermographic images. The PV performance study is carried out as function of the junction temperature and solar insolation. An infrared analysis as close to the junction temperature has allowed measurements of the cells surface temperature in order to increase the measurement accuracy and to make a reliable assessment of the PV module performance. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.