Impact of radiative-heat transfer on photovoltaic module temperature

The prediction and the optimization of the energy production of a photovoltaic (PV) module require a good knowledge of its optical, electrical, and thermal behavior. We build a complete multi-physics model able to describe the behaviors of a PV module depending on the environmental conditions (ambient temperature, wind speed, total irradiance, and installation conditions). The model treats radiation heat transfer in participating media. This feature reveals the limits of the commonly used modeling. It also opens new possibilities on improvement of the PV module yield and may influence the design strategy. Copyright (C) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.