A New Approach for Solar Module Temperature Estimation Using the Simple Diode Model

In this paper, an effective new approach for estimating the operating temperature of a photovoltaic (PV) module by using the simple diode model is presented. The developed method is simple and does not need any additional hardware. The proposed approach uses an analytical formula to derive the temperature from the maximum power point voltage and current. Since the temperature estimation (TE) is based on the model of the PV module, at first the model is explained. In the model, effects of the temperature coefficients are considered. Moreover, a new approach to find all parameters of a PV module model is described. Unlike other methods, the parameters' extraction method that is proposed here only needs manufacturer data from the datasheet and does not need any additional information. Effectiveness of the new TE procedure is investigated through some conducted simulations in MATLAB/Simulink environment and its validity is verified by experiment on a REC-AE220 solar module.