Measurement of the Thermal Characteristics of Concentrator Photovoltaic Modules

In this paper, a technique is proposed to study the thermal properties of concentrator photovoltaic modules indoor in darkened conditions. The technique combines the procedure of heating the module by passing direct current and the subsequent rapid measurement of the current–voltage characteristics, during which the solar cell temperature does not have time to change significantly due to the heat capacity of the material. The characteristics of six types of concentrator modules differing in design, sizes, and materials of heat sinks are compared. The influence of spatial arrangement of modules on the efficiency of heat removal was studied for concentrator modules of large sizes.