PHOTOVOLTAIC PERFORMANCE UNDER REAL DESERT CONDITIONS NEAR CAIRO

A photovoltaic panel of polycrystalline silicon solar cells from Solarex was installed with a tilt angle of 30°. The temperatures of the centre and side of the panel were measured by two thermocouples, in addition to the global radiation and ambient temperature measurements. The measurements were analyzed to determine empirical models for the temperature effect and the resultant power. It was found that there is a drop in the voltage and power of the photovoltaic panel at noon during the spring and summer seasons.