The Effect of Relative Humidity and Temperature on Polycrystalline Solar Panels Installed Close to a River
Armstrong O. Njok *
Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH), Calabar, 540252, Nigeria.
Julie C. Ogbulezie
Department of Physics, Faculty of Physical Sciences, University of Calabar, Calabar, 540242, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The effect of temperature and relative humidity on photovoltaics installed close to Calabar River was investigated to evaluate their performance. The data used in the research was obtained by in-situ measurement approach using a KT-908 precision digital hygrometer and thermometer, and a M890C+ digital multimeter. The result obtained shows a strong negative correlation for current, efficiency and relative humidity which indicates that high relative humidity adversely affects the performance of the photovoltaic. The results also show that voltage remains fairly stable between 65% to 75% relative humidity humidity and 33°C to 43°C (panel temperature), while efficiency increases with temperature up to the maximum operating temperature of the photovoltaic module before starting to decrease. Peak in efficiency was observed at a relative humidity value of 65% and module temperature of about 47°C at noon.
Keywords: Relative humidity, ambient temperature, panel temperature, photovoltaic module