SOLAR SPECTRUM EFFECTS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) CELLS

Abstract

In this work, an experiment was conducted to examine the effects of solar spectrum radiation on solar modules with color filtering. Two mono-crystalline solar modules were used, one for color filtering or specific light wavelength and the other for the reference or natural spectrum, which were placed side by side. Two data loggers were used for taking voltage readings periodically from the solar modules with the color filter and the reference. The two solar modules were installed strategically for accurate experimental data and the environmental temperature was not less than 25⁰C. Each reading was recorded at 50-second intervals in volts, which is the primary parameter. Microsoft Excel was used to evaluate the data, which was analyzed and represented with diagrams. Seven filters were analyzed but the yellow filter produced the highest average amount of output voltage when compared to the other colors. It shows that the yellow filter has the best energy conversion. Contrary to popular opinion, photovoltaic cells respond better to longer, less energetic visible light wavelengths than to shorter, more intense ones. Hence, exposure to yellow light has the potential to increase the overall efficiency of solar panels.