Abstract
A simple approximation model is proposed to estimate the output power of a PV (photovoltaic) module coupled directly to a battery, given the array plane irradiation and the battery voltage. Calculations were performed on a PV streetlight system in the Netherlands; the PV modules of the system were made up of 40 cells. The average overestimation of the array output for the investigated periods is 6%, due to systematic errors at irradiation levels below 300 W/m2 and at high module temperatures. Comparisons are made to a more elaborate calculation method based on a one-diode model for a PV module. The latter model gave a better accuracy of 2%. However, when pyranometer irradiation data were used instead of reference cell data, an overestimation of up to 10% for both models was found. It is therefore concluded that the error introduced by the approximation model may be acceptable in comparison with the uncertainty introduced by using pyranometer data.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 999-1004 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Conference Record of the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference |
Volume | 2 |
Publication status | Published - 1 May 1990 |
Externally published | Yes |
Event | Twenty First IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference - 1990 Part 2 (of 2) - Kissimimee, FL, USA Duration: 21 May 1990 → 25 May 1990 |