A novel implicit correlation for the operative temperature of a PV panel

The operating temperature of a commercial PV panel strongly affects the electric power output of the devices. The prediction of the operating temperature therefore plays a central role in the economic and energy assessment of PV systems. The authors propose a new implicit correlation that takes into account the standard weather variables but also the regimen of PV panel in terms of the proximity to the maximum power points. Data coming from an experimental set-up were processed by using the least squares technique. To validate the reliability of the correlation, a comparison between expected values and data from other common correlations were done. The results show that the regimen of the panel is strongly correlated with the operating temperature and the quality of the new correlation is generally very good.