Combined photovoltaic/thermal solar array DC electrical model

An electrical model of a combined photovoltaic/thermal solar array has been developed to predict the steady state behavior of the line currents, power output and array voltage. The effects of temperature on the solar cell characteristics is included in the analysis. The model includes line isolation diodes and `open cell' bypass diodes. A numerical procedure based on the Contraction Mapping Fixed Point Theorem is used to solve the associated nonlinear equations.