Reduction of Operating Temperatures of PV Modules using Thermally Conductive Backsheets: Site Dependence

Photovoltaic (PV) packaging materials impact the module operating temperatures. This paper compares the thermal performance of thermally conductive backsheets (TCB) with the benchmark tedlar-polyester-tedlar (TPT) backsheet. In this work, the nine-cell modules with TCB_A and TCB_B typically operate at lower cell temperatures under desert climatic conditions with low wind speed whereas TCB_C and TCB_D modules operate at lower backsheet temperatures but at almost similar cell temperatures under temperate climatic conditions. The Nominal Operating Cell Temperature (NOCT) of modules with thermally conductive backsheet is lower than TPT with a temperature difference as high as 2 °C. All TCBs have higher thermal conductivity values as compared to TPT. TCBs can perform better, worse or equal compared to TPT depending on the dynamic site conditions. This paper presents only the thermal performance of backsheets and does not present any data on reliability and durability of these backsheets.