IMPACT OF COLORED FILTERS ON PV MODULES PERFORMANCE: AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON ELECTRICAL AND SPECTRAL CHARACTERISTICS

PV modules utilize visible light to convert it into electrical energy, however large exposure to solar incidence also increases the temperature of PV modules leading to their degradation. This research analyzes the effect of visible light filtration through the introduction of commercially available PVC films. Selected colors orange and magenta present extreme points of the visible light spectrum. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) films are employed in two configurations i.e., with direct contact and with a 5 cm gap to observe the natural air-cooling effect on the PV module's performance. The result of visible light splitting is experienced with respect to solar irradiance in the employment of both films. Consequently, the average operating temperature of PV modules in direct contact was reduced by 6.80% and 3.65% with orange and magenta films respectively as compared to the reference PV module. Thus, electrical efficiencies of 9.21% and 8.99 % with orange and magenta films are experimentally observed with respect to 10% efficiency for the reference module. Furthermore, the introduction of a 5 cm gap provides the additional cooling effect resulting in 6.8% and 7.14% temperature reduction, and electrical efficiencies of 9.15% and 9.54% are observed for orange and magenta films, respectively.