PSpice based study of environmental effect on the performance of the solar PV module

Normally, I-V characteristic of a solar PV under STC is a standard curve plotted through a sun simulator. However, in real life situation, the performance of the module is often affected by different environmental parameters that are not taken into account while plotting the curve. The open circuit voltage and short circuit current are directly dependent on irradiance and temperature. Due to dust accumulation, the overall temperature of a solar cell increases when compared under standard operating conditions. Again, due to partial shading, the temperature of the shaded cells increases thereby reducing the output of the shaded cells. This paper focuses on the environmental effects on the performance of a solar PV module through simulation by P-Spice based on experimental data. Through PSpice simulation, it has been found that the overall output of the solar PV decreases substantially with the generation of hot spots due to accumulation of dust and partial shading of the solar panels.