Modeling and Simulation of a Hybrid Photovoltaic Module Equipped With a Heat-Recovery System

This paper presents a multiphysics model of a hybrid solar panel equipped with a solar concentrator and a cooling interface with heat-recovery capability. It is shown how the temperature profile along the cells can be predicted as a function of the cooling strategy. From this information, the I-V electrical characteristic of the whole module can be derived. An original compact electrothermal macromodel of the photovoltaic module is employed which allows one to properly incorporate the effect of temperature gradients along the cells. By exploiting this macromodel, accurate and efficient electrothermal simulations of the solar system can be carried out with a conventional electrical simulator, like Spice.