Wind Velocity and Forced Heat Transfer Model for Photovoltaic Module

Abstract

This study proposes a computational model to define the wind velocity of the environment on the photovoltaic (PV) module via heat transfer concepts. The effect of the wind velocity and PV module is mostly considered a cooling effect. However, cooling and controlling the PV module temperature leads to the capability to optimize the PV module efficiency. The present study applied a nominal operating cell temperature (NOCT) condition of the PV module as a reference condition to determine the wind velocity and PV module temperature. The obtained model has been examined in contrast to the experimental heat transfer equation and outdoor PV module performance. The results display a remarkable matching of the model with experiments. The model’s novelty defines the PV module temperature in relation to the wind speed, PV module size, and various ambient temperatures that were not included in previous studies. The suggested model could be used in PV module test specification and provide analytical evaluation.