Integrated assessment of irradiance and temperature effects on the electrical performance of contemporary photovoltaic technologies

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive performance assessment of a 10 kWp grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system located in Kayseri, Türkiye focusing on the coupled effects of irradiance and temperature on electrical output characteristics. PVGIS-SARAH3 climatic data were employed to model long-term solar resource availability, while PSIM-based single-diode simulations were used to analyze the dynamic electrical and thermal behavior of different PV technologies under operating conditions ranging from 300-1000 W/m² irradiance and 10-90 °C cell temperature. The investigated modules include polycrystalline, monocrystalline, heterojunction (HJT), and advanced N-type TOPCon technologies. Results indicate that the highest conversion efficiency of 28.80% is achieved by the TOPCon module, whereas polycrystalline technology exhibits the lowest performance at 17.74%. Irradiance variation leads to a power increase of approximately 261%, while temperature rise causes up to 23–28% power degradation depending on module type. Voltage output remains relatively stable within 38-42 V, whereas current is highly sensitive to irradiance changes. Seasonal analysis reveals an annual energy yield of 16,272.70 kWh, with approximately 55% of production concentrated between May and September. The findings confirm that N-type and TOPCon technologies provide superior thermal stability and higher energy yield under high-irradiance climates. The proposed integrated PVGIS-PSIM framework offers a robust methodology for realistic PV system performance prediction and technology comparison under field-relevant environmental conditions.

Keywords

• Photovoltaic module
• Solar panel
• Temperature effects
• Irradiance

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