Evaluation of the Performance of Polycrystalline and Monocrystalline PV Technologies in a Hot and Arid Region: An Experimental Analysis

Mohamed Benghanem (), Sofiane Haddad, Ahmed Alzahrani, Adel Mellit, Hamad Almohamadi, Muna Khushaim and Mohamed Salah Aida
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Mohamed Benghanem: Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Islamic University of Madinah, Madinah 42351, Saudi Arabia
Sofiane Haddad: Department of Electronics, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Jijel, Jijel 18000, Algeria
Ahmed Alzahrani: Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Islamic University of Madinah, Madinah 42351, Saudi Arabia
Adel Mellit: Department of Electronics, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Jijel, Jijel 18000, Algeria
Hamad Almohamadi: Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Islamic University of Madinah, Madinah 42351, Saudi Arabia
Muna Khushaim: Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Taibah University, P.O. Box 30002, Madinah 41447, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed Salah Aida: Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 20, 1-24

Abstract: In arid regions, the behavior of solar panels changes significantly compared to the datasheets provided by the manufacturer. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the performance of both polycrystalline and monocrystalline solar modules in an arid region characterized by a large potential for solar irradiation and high temperatures. The influence of environmental parameters, such as temperature and dust, on the output power of solar modules with different technologies (monocrystalline and polycrystalline) has been investigated. The Artificial Hummingbirds Algorithm (AHA) has been used to extract parameters for PV modules. As a result, it has been demonstrated that for high solar irradiation, the polycrystalline PV module experiences a smaller decrease in output power than the monocrystalline PV module as the module temperature increases. The percentage drop in output power is approximately 14% for the polycrystalline PV module and nearly 16% for the monocrystalline PV module. However, for low solar irradiation, it is advisable to use monocrystalline modules, as a 21% decrease in power was observed for polycrystalline modules compared to a 9% decrease for monocrystalline modules. Additionally, the monocrystalline PV module was more affected by dust than the polycrystalline PV module under high solar irradiation conditions, while under low incident solar radiation, the polycrystalline PV module was more affected by dust than the monocrystalline PV module. The power drop of the monocrystalline PV module was greater than that of the polycrystalline PV module for high solar radiation (>500 W/m 2 ). Therefore, the advantage of this proposed work is to recommend the use of polycrystalline solar panels in regions characterized by high solar irradiation and high temperatures instead of monocrystalline solar panels, which are more efficient in regions worldwide characterized by low solar irradiation and low temperatures.

Keywords: monocrystalline and polycrystalline PV modules; environmental effects; energy losses; I-V characterization; AHA algorithm (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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