New Developments in the Modeling and Simulations of the Thermal Behavior and Electrical Yield of Photovoltaics Panels With the Consideration of Desert Environmental Conditions

Due to its inherent nature, a standard photovoltaic (PV) cell can absorb around 80 % of incident solar irradiation from the complete solar spectrum. The cell directly converts only a small portion of this absorbed energy into electric current. The remainder only increases the temperature of the PV cell, which in return decreases the electrical output of the PV cells. Thus, there is a direct relation between thermal energy and electrical yield of a PV panel. From a design point of view, a designer needs credible prediction tools to efficiently and accurately estimate a system's performance before installation. This review covers the progress made so far in these related modelling and simulation tools. In the end, the authors suggest adopting the best practices through literature and via their own personal contributions in the field to get maximum possible prediction accuracy.