3D FINITE ELEMENT METHOD MODELING AND SIMULATION OF THE TEMPERATURE OF CRYSTALLINE PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE

Abstract

The temperature reached by solar cells/modules during operation has been simulated to have information about the temperature distribution in the solar cell/module. A finite element (FE) model of the solar cell/module was created in COMSOL Multiphysics environment. The simulations enable visualization of the temperature distribution in crystalline silicon solar cell. The effect of different encapsulating materials, Ethylene-vinyl Acetate (EVA) and silicone on cell temperature are also investigated. An unwanted side-effect of the encapsulation of solar cells into a PV module is that the encapsulation alters the heat flow into and out of the PV module, thereby increasing the operating temperature of the PV module. These increases in temperature have a major impact on the PV module by reducing its voltage, thereby lowering the output power. A finite element (FE) model representing a real crystalline silicon solar cell/module in terms of size, mechanical and material properties is created. An in-depth study of the FE software used, COMSOL Multiphysics is done in other to get the best output in terms of solver configuration and memory considerations. Four different geometries of the solar cell/module are created for these simulations; each representing a stage or variant in the solar module assembly. At first, the models are validated comparing results from simulations such as the effect of changes in solar irradiance, wind velocity and incident angle of solar irradiance on temperature with those in literature. The effect of the type of protective cover used in the encapsulation, either glass-glass or glass-Tedlar on cell temperature is analyzed. The thickness of the protective cover layers and its optical properties are also investigated based on their effects on cell/module temperature. All the simulations leading to the conclusions drawn about the cell/module temperature and its distribution were performed by varying wind velocity, irradiance, material sizes and incident angle among other model modifications. The color maps and graphs are presented in this study.