Heat transfer modeling and performance evaluation of photovoltaic system in different seasonal and climatic conditions

The panel temperature plays a significant role in the electricity generation process of the photovoltaic system. Therefore, a finite element (FE) computational model employing COMSOL Multiphysics 5.3a software for predicting heat transfer phenomenon of the photovoltaic (PV) panel has been attempted in the present work. A comparative study was performed to explore the impact of dirt in windy and windless condition, as well as seasonal variation on the performance of PV system. It was observed that during summer the reduction in panel efficiency due to dust deposition was 51.0% higher than in winter. The maximum efficiency of the clean and dusty panel on a windy day was reduced by 15.0% and 19.5% respectively. Panel surface temperature in different seasons (summer and winter), heat transfer coefficient, solar radiation, and efficiency were successfully predicted and validated. The panel efficiency in summer and winter varied from 13.0-13.9% and 16.0-16.4% respectively. Additionally, as compared to nominal operating cell temperature (NOCT) model, the temperature profile predicted by FE model was found to be more accurate with lower measures of statistical error. Hence, it can be concluded that the FE model can be successfully used for heat transfer analysis of PV system. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.