Seasonal variations in the operating temperature of silicon solar panels in southern Ghana

This work deals with the seasonal daily variation of the operating temperature of silicon solar panels under tropical atmospheric conditions, including high turbidity (Harmattan dust particles). Data was collected from March 2010 to July 2012 at Legon (0°11′08″ W, 5°39'04″ N) using a Davis wireless Vantage Pro2 Plus weather station monitored with the software WeatherLink®. While the ‘common outdoor’ operating temperature is usually set at 45 °C, it has been observed that during the harmattan season, the operating temperature of a solar panel can rise beyond 70°C.

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