Correlation for estimating solar cell temperature based on a tropical field operation of a photovoltaic system

Efficiency of a solar cell strongly depends on the cell temperature, Tc which is calculated using the ambient temperatureand the reference value of the cell temperature known as the nominal operating cell temperature (NOCT). This paper presents the development of a new NOCT applicable for tropical regions and it is called as the tropical field operation cell temperature (tFOCT). A new equation for calculating cell temperature is developed by determining a new value for the tFOCT and its measuring conditions, which are solar radiation, ambient temperature, and wind speed. These conclusions are based on the condition of the tropical weather environment as a unique approach for field value adaptation. Site monitoring and analysis of the installed system were performed for 10 consecutive months at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. The results show that the suitable weather conditions for measuring tFOCT are irradiance of 954 W/m2, ambient temperature of 330 °C, and wind speed of 1.5 m/s. The proposed correlation model between ambient temperature and solar radiation and the cell temperature is useful for PV manufacturers who intend to install their PV products in tropical countries.