Sandia Module Temperature Model

Sandia proposes the following model to estimate module temperature, T_{m}:

$$T_{m} = E_{POA}\cdot (e^{a+b\cdot WS} ) + T_a$$

  • $$E_{POA}$$ = Solar irradiance incident on the module (POA) (W/m^2)
  • $$T_a$$ = Ambient air temperature (°C)
  • $$WS$$ = Wind speed (m/s)

a and b are parameters that depend on the module construction and materials as well as on the mounting configuration of the module.  The table below lists representative values for these parameters for various common module types and configurations.

Module TypeMountab
Glass/cell/glassOpen rack-3.47-.0594
Glass/cell/glassClose roof mount-2.98-.0471
Glass/cell/polymer sheetOpen rack-3.56-.0750
Glass/cell/polymer sheetInsulated back-2.81-.0455
Polymer/thin-film/steelOpen rack-3.58-.113
22X Linear ConcentratorTracker-3.23-.130