Numerical Simulation for Comparison of PV Module Designs based on Outdoor Data in Desert Climates

Crystalline silicon modules are currently the dominant technology and will remain so in the coming years. The transition to larger wafers in the direction of M10 and M12 goes hand in hand with the optimization of module size in terms of reliability and maximum utilization of freight containers. The reliability of these modules is said to remain unchanged and the performance guarantees by manufacturers are now given for at least 25 years and even lower degradation rates are specified. In moderate climates, this is already questionable and for challenging climates such as deserts, the uncertainty increases further. An important factor for reliability in desert climates is thermomechanical loads caused by daily high temperature cycles. In a previous study, different cell formats, cell spacing and connector thicknesses were compared and possible design candidates were determined using the simulation of the standard thermal cycling test (TCT). In this work, the cell interconnector loads of design variants for specific desert climate data are determined and compared with the results of the TCT simulation. High-resolution environmental data for Doha (Qatar) for the period from 2018 to 2022 is analyzed, prepared and used for the simulation. First, the module temperatures are determined with the help of models and then the data is reduced to minimize the required calculation points. The determined thermomechanical loads on the cell interconnector are compared for selected designs and contrasted to a TCT. As a result, it can be deduced how many standard temperature cycles correlate with the outdoor loads. Furthermore, differences between individual years can also be assessed.