Open AccessA Calculation Model to Estimate the Electrical Performance of a Photovoltaic Panel
Author(s) -
Mario Antonio Cucumo,
Vittorio Ferraro,
Dimitrios Kaliakatsos,
Francesco Nicoletti,
Albino Gigliotti
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
tecnica italiana
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 0040-1846
DOI - 10.18280/ti-ijes.652-418
Subject(s) - photovoltaic system , electric power , electric potential energy , power (physics) , transient (computer programming) , electrical efficiency , roof , discretization , maximum power principle , energy balance , thermal , environmental science , computer science , electrical engineering , engineering , mathematics , structural engineering , meteorology , physics , thermodynamics , mathematical analysis , operating system
In this study, the thermal and electrical modeling of a photovoltaic panel is performed to evaluate its temperature profiles, electrical efficiency and the electrical power supplied. The energy balance equations under transient conditions of all the layers that make up the panel are discretized by the finite difference technique and solved with the implicit method. The results are validated with experimental data provided by an experimental set-up located on the roof of a building of the Department of Mechanical, Energy and Management Engineering (DIMEG) of the University of Calabria. The comparison with the experimental data allows us to see an excellent approximation of the distribution of temperatures inside the panel and in particular of the photovoltaic cells, accurately evaluating the effect on electrical efficiency and the electrical power supplied. The validation was performed with reference to a clear winter day and a clear summer day. The mean square error was about 1.5°C on the panel temperature and about 3 W on the electrical power (1.2% of the maximum power).