3-d modelling of electrical parameters’ effects on the heating of the base of an intense light illuminated polycrystalline silicon PV cell

Abstract

Performances of a solar cell are significantly influenced by the heating of the base. Two phenomena contribute to the heating of the base of a PV cell: the heat due to the transfer by conduction of the solar energy radiation received by the surface of the PV cell and the heat generated inside the solar cell by various phenomena related to the movement of photogenerated electrons and holes. Thus, even if the increase of the quantity of carriers leads to improve the PV cell electrical parameters, this phenomenon also leads to the increase of some internal phenomena like thermalization, carriers braking and the carriers collisions which are sources of heating of the base of the solar cell Indeed, electrical parameters (photocurrent, photovoltage, electric power) are physical quantities related to the movement of charge carriers and also to the illumination mode, this means that changing of electrical parameters during the operation of the PV cell leads to a variation of the temperature inside the base of the PV cell. This work presents the effects of the increase of some electrical parameters (photocurrent, photovoltage, electric power) on the behaviour of the temperature of the base of a silicon PV cell under intense light illumination.