Experimental analysis of parameter variation and power enhancement of concentrated PV module

Ever increasing energy requirements and rising emission levels have been driving the electricity sector towards more sustainable and eco-friendly methods of power generation. Efficiency improvement of photovoltaic (PV) cell through every possible method is in focus to improve the energy economics of solar PV technology. Concentrated solar PV systems are one of the contenders for high efficiency solar PV systems. However, along with power enhancement, other parameters like open circuit voltage, short circuit current and fill factor of the solar cells that are used in the module are subjected to variation with concentrated solar PV systems. For an inverter, along with power input, the maximum voltage and current inputs are equally important for effective operation. The variation of these parameters in non-linear fashion makes mathematical modelling difficult and complex. Therefore, in the present experiment, variations in voltage, current, fill factor and module temperatures are examined using V-Trough concentrating system. From the experimental results, the actual voltage dependence on temperature and intensity is found to be more compared to the theoretical estimation. Interesting variation of photovoltaic current of concentrated module has been observed during evening times. Fill factor and thermal parameter variations like front and back surface temperature with concentration are simulated and presented along with practical results.