ABDUL FATIR KHAN

2015-ME-93

INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT OF

TEMPERATURE AND WIND SPEED
ON EFFICIENCY OF PV MODULE

A REVIEW OF ITS
ECONOMIC, SOCIAL
& ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACTS
 Investigation of the Effect of Temperature and Wind
Speed on Efficiency of PV Module
Abstract:
The correlation of wind speed and ambient temperature with the panel efficiency was
investigated and it was found out that increase in ambient temperature and decrease in wind
speeds curtailed the efficiency of PV panels and converse for increase in efficiency. A list of
manufacturers of HIT solar technology was prepared which was critically analyzed to select
one manufacturer with the optimal efficiency at a specific power rating. The Annual Energy
Generation and Capacity Factor was calculated to be 87.28 kW and 0.2212 respectively. The
panel selected was of ‘Jinergy Coporation’ having a rated power of 360W and 21.9%
efficiency. The operating efficiency revolved around 17.15% to 24.70% considering the
variance and trend in climatic factors. A graphical relation between wind speed, ambient temp
and panel efficiency concurred their correlation. Environmental impacts, sustainability, social
and economic benefits have been outlined and discussed in the paragraphs to come.

1.0 Introduction:
The emergence of Solar PV cells as an alternative source of electricity which is sustainable and
renewable at the same time has opened new horizons for an environment friendly industrial
advancement. Many developed countries have set an optimistic goal of reducing down their
CO2 emissions and increasing the share of low carbon technologies. Key players have emerged
in the solar energy sector and the major producers which would use to be European and US
companies have now shrunk and major share of PV manufacturing has moved in the hands of
China, Japan and Taiwan. China today produces around 50% of the total PV cells. However,
with the expansion of solar manufacturing industry to a scale this big has involved the
amalgamation of unwanted aspects into this industrial sector. A major misconception found
regarding solar technology is that it is 100% environment friendly. This concept is wrong. In
addition to this; certain economic, environmental and social parameters accompany the
widespread use of solar technology which will be discussed in this report.
To proceed any further, there is a need to comparatively analyze different manufacturers
producing the prescribed PV cell technology at different rated powers. This will allow to select
the manufacturer with the best and optimal efficiency. Mathematical models for calculating
operating efficiency for geographical location, annual energy generation and capacity factor,
as discussed in the Literature review to follow, will assist in determining the operating
efficiencies for each month and the effect induced by ambient temperature, wind speed and
daily irradiation which will enable the reader to have a close insight into the trends that PV
cells follow in different climatic conditions. The overall analysis helps the reader to portray the
deterministic factors that play a vital role in selection of a solar PV technology for a
geographical location keeping in view the socio economic benefits and the environmental and
economic sustainability of the transition from conventional fuels to solar power production. In
addition to this, green house gas emissions have been compared with the fossil fuels and other
low carbon technologies to give the reader an idea of the significance of solar photovoltaic
technology.
2.0 Literature Review:
Huld et al. [1] developed a firm relationship of the ambient temperature of the module with the
performance of PV cell. It is note-worthy that the parameters on which the PV module
performance depends are mainly meteorological factor, one of which is the module
temperature. This module temperature accounts for the pivotal parameters which influence PV
module performance. These include in-plane solar irradiation, ambient air temperature and
wind cooling.
Abdallah et al. [2] referred to the relation of ambient temperature of the module with the
performance ratio of PV Module. An increase in temperature will have a substantial effect on
the output of power of the PV module. SHJ performed exceptionally as compared to the
conventional PV types. Dust accumulation is problem in Qatar which negatively impacted the
PV performance ratio but the condition improved when those PV modules were subjected to
cleaning or rain.
Balaska et al. [3] investigated a multitude of factors that would affect the performance ratio of
a PV module located in Algeria. These factors included irradiation, ambient temperature, wind
speed and relative humidity. Five different types of PV modules were employed to study the
combined effect of such meteorological parameters. The conditions found during winter season
prevailed in increasing the overall Performance ratio of PV module. Wind speeds increased in
winter months which subsequently led to an increase in PV performance. Moreover, ambient
temperature decreased in winter season and increased in summer season. Thus, ambient
temperature has a reverse effect on PV module performance ratio.
Mussard et al. [4] studied performance of PV modules under certain weather conditions. They
led to a discovery that wind speed has a positive effect on the PV performance and efficiency.
This is because winds tend to cool down the PV panels and thus reduce their ambient
temperature. Not just of their role of reducing the ambient temperatures; if the tilt angles of PV
panels are optimum, winds and gusts play their part in removing dust and hinder their
accumulation on the PV panels. Moreover, high wind speeds will result in removal of large
particles accumulated over the PV panels. These conditions are abundantly found in arid and
semi-arid climatic regions.
Du et al. [5] insists on the induction of wind in the PV modules for cooling purposes. This is
because lowering temperature and incorporating wind at an increasing speed would increase
the performance of PV module. Nogueira et al. [6] compared the performances of mono-Si and
multi-Si PV cells and the affect of multiple parameters that affect the performance of PV cells.
They found that cell temperature along with solar irradiation had a substantial role in varying
the performance of PV cells despite the technology employed.
Temperature and Wind speed aren’t the only factors that play a part in affecting the PV system
characteristics. In 2018, Hammad et al. [7] investigated the correlation of a multitude of factors
that would affect the solar PV cell performance. Dust accumulation, humidity and visibility
coerced the performance efficiency of PV cell along with the temperature and wind speed of
PV module system.
Said et al. [8] studied the impact of location and its related climatic conditions on the
performance ratio of PV modules. Their study concurred their hypothesis that location played
a role in PV cell performance. Climatic conditions include temperature, humidity, wind speeds
and solar radiation density etc. Moreover, a research based study conduced in Saudi Arabia by
Al Harbi et al. [9] asserted the importance of local climatic conditions on PV cell performance.
A 30% decrease in power output was noted due to high temperatures at day time. It is evident
to say that increased temperature resulted in a decreased PV cell performance and efficiency.

Fig.1: Effect of temperature on the performance of PV cell (Nogueira et al.) [6]

Edalati et al. [10] found PV cells to be more efficient in terms of performance and increased
efficiency in winter season when the temperatures were not high and instead were moderate.
Such correlation of heat intensive climatic regions is further endorsed by Bouraiou et al. [11]
in a study conducted in Algeria (Africa). Harsh and severe climatic conditions offer a restricted
operating condition for the PV cell which include high temperatures, sand accumulated wind
storms and high humidity. These in effect reduce the power output received from the PV cells.
Tebibel and Labed et al. [12] performed an investigation on the annual performance of a PV
system in a remote location in Saharan region of Algeria. An approximate of 10 percent
reduction in the PV module output and performance was observed when the temperatures
soared during the summer season.
Incorporation of wind effect on the panel efficiency was mathematically determined by
Schwingshackl et al. [13] that could be accounted for successful prediction of solar panel
performance for various climatic conditions. Previously research work was present in terms of
the ambient temperature’s inclusion in the panel efficiency determination formula. However,
this distinction has been achieved which would play a part in accurate predictability. Here
module temperature is the temperature of the surface of cell which is different than the ambient
temperature. It is affected by both the ambient temperature and the solar irradiance. Module
efficiency was previously:
 𝐺𝐻𝐼
MT = AT + (NOCT – 20) * 800

A much more fine approach to find module tempearture is suggested by Skoplaki.

𝐺𝐻𝐼 ℎ𝑤,𝑁𝑂𝐶𝑇 𝜂
MT = AT + (NOCT – 20) x 𝑥 𝑥 [1 − (1 − 𝑇𝐶 𝑥 𝑇𝑆𝑇𝐶 )]
800 ℎ𝑤(𝑣) 0.9

Here,
hw = 5.7 + 2.8 vw
(where vw is the wind speed)
Panel efficiency is given as:
𝜂𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 = 𝜂𝑇 [1 − 𝑇𝐶(𝑀𝑇 − 𝑇𝑆𝑇𝐶 )]

3.0 Methodology:
3.1 Comparison of Manufacturers for a Specific Power Rating:
A plethora of manufacturers exist for PV cells and panels of distinct variety. The material
assigned here was heterogeneous intrinsic thin film. Heterogeneous as the name suggests
contains more than one element in their composition. Thin film is the thickness of the PV cells
which need to be within a specific limit. Majority of manufacturers of PV cells are found in
China, United States, Japan, Germany, Singapore, Russia, India and Taiwan. The powers
selected for finding PV cells manufacturers were 240W, 245W, 250W, 320W, 325W, 355W
and 360W.
The following is the data for 240W:
Power Output: 240W
Manufacturer
Panel Efficiency % Model Number Region

Panasonic 19.1 VBHN240SJ25 Japan

Hevel Solar 14.33 HVL-240 Russia

Panasonic Group is found to have the solar panel with the highest efficiency. So it is advisable
to select this manufacturer’s VBHN240SJ25 for 240W specification.
The following is the data for 245W:
Manufacturer Power Output: 245W

Panel Efficiency % Model Number Region

Panasonic 19.4 VBHN245SJ25 Japan
Panasonic is found to have the solar panel with the highest efficiency. It is the only
manufacturer that could be found for 245W. So, it is advisable to select this manufacturer’s
VBHN 245 SJ 25 for 245W specification.

The following is the data for 250W:

Manufacturer Power Output: 250W
Panel Efficiency % Model Number Region
Hevel Solar 14.93 HVL-250 Russia

Hevel Solar is found to have the solar panel with the highest efficiency. So it is advisable to
select this manufacturer’s HVL-250 for 250W specification.
Now, the following is the data for 320 W:
Manufacturer Power Output: 320W

Panel Efficiency % Model Number Region

Panasonic 19.1 VBHN320SJ47 Japan
Hevel Solar 19.11 HVL-320 Russia
SolarTech Universal, LLC 19.6 STUHJTBW-320 United States

SolarTech Universal, LLC is found to have the solar panel with the highest efficiency. So it
is advisable to select this manufacturer’s HVL-320 for 320W specification.
The following is the data for 325 W:
Manufacturer Power Output: 325W

Panel Efficiency % Model Number Region

Panasonic 19.4 VBHN325SJ47 Japan
SolarTech Universal, LLC 19.9 STUHJTBW-325 United States

SolarTech Universal, LLC is found to have the solar panel with the highest efficiency. So it
is advisable to select this manufacturer’s STUHJTBW-325 for 325W specification.
The following is the manufacturer’s data for 355W:
Manufacturer Power Output: 355W
Panel Efficiency % Model Number Region
REC Solar 20.3 REC355AA Black Singapore
 Jinergy Clean Energy 21.6 JNHM60-355 China
Technology Co.Ltd

This time, Jinergy Clean Energy Technology Co. Ltd. is ahead in terms of the panel
efficiency i.e. 21.6% which is extraordinary in such cases. So, we will choose JNHM60-355
panel for 355W.
The following is the manufacturer’s data for 360W:
Power Output: 360W
Manufacturer
Panel Efficiency % Model Number Region
REC Solar 20.6 REC360AA Black Singapore
Jinergy Clean Energy 21.9 JNHM60-360 China
Technology Co.Ltd

This time again, Jinergy Clean Energy Technology Co. Ltd. is ahead in terms of the panel
efficiency i.e. 18.5% which is extraordinary in such cases. So, we will choose JNHM60-360
panel for 360W.
3.2 Selection of Manufacturer with Optimal Efficiency:
The table shows the final summary of the selected manufacturers and their corresponding
models for each power rating.
Power Manufacturer Efficiency % Model

240W Panasonic 19.10 VBHN240SJ25

245W Panasonic 19.40 VBHN245SJ25

250W Hevel Solar 14.93 HVL-250

320W Hevel Solar 19.11 HVL-320

325W SolarTech Universal, LLC 19.90 STUHJTBW-325

355W Jinergy Clean Energy Technology Co.Ltd 21.60 JNHM60-355

360W Jinergy Clean Energy Technology Co.Ltd 21.90 JNHM60-360

Table 1: Shortlisted Manufacturers for each Power Output

The highest panel efficiency is found to be of Jinergy Clean Energy Technology Co. Ltd. Model
JNHM60-360 i.e. a staggering 21.90%. Therefore in our calculations we will use the JNHM60-
360 for our calculations as it has the optimal efficiency.
 25

20
Module Efficiency %

15

10

0
200 250 300 350 400
Rated Power (W)
Panasonic Hevel Solar
SolarTech Universal, LLC REC Solar
Jinergy Clean Energy Technology Co.Ltd

Fig.2: Comparative graphical representation of Manufacturer’s Data

3.3 Annual Energy Generation and Capacity Factor:

The specifications of Jinergy Clean Energy Technology Co. Ltd. Model JNHM60-360 are:
Specification Value
Model Number JNHM60-360
Maximum Power (W) 360
Maximum Power Voltage (Vmp) 36.93
Maximum Power Current (Imp) 9.75
Module Efficiency (%) 21.9
Maximum Power at STC (W) 325
Nominal Operating Cell Temp (NOCT) 45oC
Maximum Wind Load (Pa) 2400
Temperature Coefficient TC (%/oC) -0.27
Table 2: Specifications of Selected Solar Module
The formula provided to calculate the Annual Energy Generation (AEG) is:
𝐴𝐸𝐺 = ∑(𝐺𝐻𝐼 ∗ 𝜂 − 𝐺𝐻𝐼 ∗ 𝜂 ∗ 𝑇𝐶 ∗ (𝑀𝑇 − 𝐴𝑇 ))
Where;
𝐺𝐻𝐼
MT = AT + (NOCT – 20) * 800
For the data that was provided, MT was calculated using Microsoft Excel for each day.
Subsequently, the Energy output for each data was evaluated and the daily energy generation
was summed up till 365 days to find the AEG value.
𝐸𝑑𝑐
Capacity Factor = C.F. =
𝑃𝑥𝑡

3.4 Determination of Actual Panel Efficiencies:

In order to find the panel efficiencies, we will be first determining the fill factor of the Solar
Panel. For this:
𝑀𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑃𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑙 360 𝑊
Fill Factor = FF = = = 0.81143
𝑂𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝐶𝑖𝑟𝑐𝑢𝑖𝑡 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑥 𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝐶𝑖𝑟𝑐𝑢𝑖𝑡 𝐶𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 43.84 𝑥 10.12

𝑂𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝐶𝑖𝑟𝑐𝑢𝑖𝑡 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑥 𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝐶𝑖𝑟𝑐𝑢𝑖𝑡 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑥 𝐹𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝐹𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟

Actual Efficiency =
𝐺𝐻𝐼 𝑥 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑃𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑙

Other than this, we can use the alternative method:

Actual Efficiency = Module Efficiency + Efficiency Gradient

Actual Efficiency = Module Efficiency + (Module Temperature – STC) x Temperature
Coefficient

4. Results:
The efficiencies using this formulae can be calculated but they do not include the effect of
varying wind speeds. But with the use of Schwingshackl’s equations and incorporating the
effect of wind, the following efficiencies were obtained:

Month Actual Efficiency

Nov-14 21.98973563
Dec-14 24.35148841
Jan-15 24.70821656
Feb-15 22.91369214
Mar-15 21.16493625
Apr-15 18.57011069
May-15 17.1519874
Jun-15 17.34087853
Jul-15 18.20202375
Aug-15 17.91157742
Sep-15 18.60418313
Oct-15 20.03358563
Table 3: Operating Efficiencies
Efficiencies during the summer months are destined to be low due to increase in ambient
temperature and high in winters due to the effect of lowered ambient temperatures along with
the combined effect of wind speed. We will now calculate the actual efficiencies for each day
and correlate it with the ambient temperature and Wind Speed. This will give us 365 data
points.

4.1 Effect of Temperature on Efficiency of PV Module

30

25
Panel Efficiency (%)

20

15

10

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Ambient Temperature (Celsius)

Ambient Temperature Linear (Ambient Temperature)

Fig.2: Ambient Temperature vs Operating Efficiency

4.2 Effect of Wind Speed on Efficiency of PV Module

30

25
Panel Efficiency (%)

20

15

10

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Wind Speed

Wind Speed Linear (Wind Speed)

Fig.3: Wind Speed vs Operating Efficiency

4.3 Effect of Daily Irradiation on Efficiency of PV Module

30

25
Panel Efficiency %

20

15

10

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Daily Irradiation (GHI)

Daily Irradiance Linear (Daily Irradiance)

Fig.4: Daily Irradiation vs Operating Efficiency

4.4 Operating Efficiencies Trend:

Efficiencies tend to increase in the cooler months and decrease in the hotter months. The
reason is due to the established relationship between efficiency and temperature, wind speed
and daily solar irradiation.

30

25
Module Efficiency %

20

15

10

Fig.5 Monthly efficiency trend

4.5 Monthly Trend of Ambient Temperature

The ambient temperature inversely relates to the panel efficiency. The correlation is clear and
no obscurities are found in the relation.

40 30
Ambient Temperature oC

35
25
30
20

Efficiency %
25
20 15
15
10
10
5
5
0 0

Axis Title

Temperature Effiency

Fig.6 Monthly Trend of Efficiency and Temperature

4.6 Monthly Trend of Wind Speed

The wind speed directly relates to the panel efficiency. The correlation is clear and no
uncertainties are found in the relation.

4 40
3.5 35
3 30
Wind Speed m/s

Efficiency %

2.5 25
2 20
1.5 15
1 10
0.5 5
0 0

Axis Title

Wind Speed Effiency

Fig.7 Monthly Trend of Efficiency and Wind Speed

4.7 Monthly Trend of Daily Irradiation

350 30

300 25
250
20
200
15
150
10
100

50 5

0 0

GHI Effiency

Fig.7 Monthly Trend of Efficiency and GHI

4.8 AEG and CF of PV Module

 Annual Energy Generation per Unit Area = 53069.95 Wm-2 = 53.069 kWm-2
Area of Solar Panel = 1.658 x 0.992 = 1.6447 m2
 Annual Energy Generation = 87282 W = 87.282 kW
𝐸𝑑𝑐 87282 𝑥 8 ℎ𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒
Capacity Factor = C.F. = =
𝑃𝑥𝑡 360𝑥 365 𝑥 24

 Capacity Factor = 22.12 %

5.0 Discussion:
The effect of increase in ambient temperature can be seen evident as decrease in the operating
efficiency of our panel. This phenomena has already been verified by the literature point of
view that has previously been done. The calculations performed are up to expectations and
prove the obvious correlation between operating efficiency of solar panel and ambient
temperature.
The effect of wind speed however, does not meet with the research and literature review that
was previously done. An increase in wind speed must accompany an increase n the operating
efficiency. However, this can be compensated by the fact that Bahawalpur is deserted area of
sandy nature. Wind and gusts in this region are often accompanied by dust particles that can
cause dust accumulation on the solar panels thus lowering the actual efficiency that was to
increase at the first place. But nonetheless, the solar panel employed worked efficaciously in
the winter season giving an impressive efficiency of solar PV HIT cells.
However, work of Schwingshackl et al. [13] proved to be significant in paving out the accurate
correlation between wind speed and panel efficiency. As discussed in the literature review,
wind efficiency will have a directly proportional effect on the panel efficiency and this effect
has been shown in the graph crisp and clean.

6.0 Social and Economic Benefits of Solar Energy in Bahawalpur:

6.1 Optimal Climatic Conditions:
Bahawalpur naturally inherits the vital necessities of a suitable solar power site. Situated near
two of the famous and recognized deserts of Pakistan, the solar irradiance that Bahawalpur
receives is immense and could be exploited to fulfil the commercial and residential needs. A
solar park is already in place in Bahawalpur generating 100MW power in its initial phase.
6.2 Political Viability:
With the ongoing debates to award Bahawalpur the status of a new province, an exclusive
power infrastructure will be crucial to meet the demands of this newly formed province in order
to render it independent in terms of its power production and the population boom that will
accompany. Thus solar energy will prove substantial.
6.2 Industrial Advancement:
CPEC has attracted a lot of industrial and commercial sector companies to invest in this multi
billion dollar projects. These companies are seeking to set up their sites and assembly lines
near the vicinity of this project. As Bahawalpur lies in the centre of the Eastern Block of CPEC,
industrial facilities can be setup in this city. For this, an interrupted supply of power will be
required and that too coming from renewable and sustainable sources will enhance the chances
of MNCs ending up setting their facilities here.
6.3 Reduction in Electricity Bills:
Majority of population living in Bahawalpur comprises of residential electricity consumers. As
GDP of Pakistan and specifically regions like Bahawalpur is considerably low, the costs of
electricity can be reduced by choosing solar energy as main power source. The initial costs can
be high the operating costs are in favor of the low income residents of Bahawalpur.
6.4 Emergence of New Opportunities:
Solar panel manufacturing, operation and maintenance will see a boom and new jobs will be
created in order to fill the space created by incorporating the solar technology sector into the
power generation sector. New idea will emerge that will lead to entrepreneurship and
encourage research.
6.5 Remedying the Circular Debt:
A colossal circular debt that petrifies a both common Pakistani and Pakistan’s economic policy
makers can be relieved if a new power sector emerges that is free from cash repayments and
backflows. It will allow to focus on the circular debt issue without making it worse.
7.0 Environmental Impact and Sustainability of Going Solar:
7.1 Ugly Side of Solar Technology:
Many of us think of solar industry as a greener technology owing to its environmental virtue
but the reality is quite contradictory. Solar panels do not come off the sky. There is a complete
manufacturing process that accompanies them. The process of solar cell manufacturing starts
with a mineral known as Quartz. The mining process causes release of toxic gases which puts
the life of the miner in danger. However, the effect of these gases on the environment can be
neglected. Coming towards the processing of solar cells, silicon tetrachloride is a by-product
that comes off as a waste and can be recycled but the recycling process comes at a colossal
cost. Since photovoltaic competition is getting intense globally with new market players
emerging, the manufacturers prefer to dump this waste into the neighborhoods. This causes air
pollution which is detrimental for the sustainability of environment. Washington Post was the
first to investigate this criminal negligence and published a report, after which the stocks of
solar companies went down significantly.
7.2 Duck Curve Phenomena:
Solar Cells power electricity grids when exposed to solar irradiation. If they need to be kept
working in night, batteries need to be attached with them to provide electricity 24 hours. The
problem with going solar with a large share of solar energy in the energy mix attributes for a
balance of solar with other fuel technologies. Solar produces cheaper electricity and switching
it with fossil fuel power plants at day and preferring fossil fuel power plants at night can be
challenging and economically at disadvantage. This is because conventional power plants need
to be run 24 hours and shutting them down intermittently can incur huge costs. Such power
plants are economically beneficial only if they run continuously. This problem has been an
issue for the policy makers and calculating the right share of fuel mix for their energy grid.
This sheds light to the inability of going 100% solar.
7.3 Lifetime Sustainability of a Solar PV Cell:
Manufacturing of a solar panel as discussed involves many processes that are hazardous at level
from medium to extreme. With the solar industry thriving, the need for more solar cells have
increased. A life expectancy of a solar panel is estimated to be 20-25 years. This too means
that more solar cells will be needed over time which will call for an expansion in manufacturing
sites and capacity. An environmental risk is pertaining to the solar technology and it is not
completely environment friendly.
7.4 Carbon Footprint and GHG Emissions:
A report by UK Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology [14] concludes with a
comparative analysis of the carbon emissions of Solar technology with other Low carbon
technologies. This report also compared the carbon emissions of solar technology with
conventional fuel technologies. The GHG emissions per Kilo Watt produced for HIT Solar
technology is 20 folds less as compared to Coal. Some of the insights are:
 Fig. 5: Range of carbon footprints for UK & European ‘low carbon’ technologies

Fig.6: Current and future carbon footprints

7.5 Energy Payback of Solar Cell:
Solar technology incorporates for roughly tenth of the carbon emissions by regular
conventional fuels. In addition, the energy payback for PV cells is 1-3 years and the
manufacturing and operating of solar PV cells in a completely renewable environment is 100%
carbon free. The cost of going 100 % renewable is high and involves many complexities.
An exhibit from National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shows the process and
timeline of energy payback of solar technology. The investment period completes and starts
the point of 100 % payback. This means the solar PV module will spend 1-2 years to produce
the amount of energy that was used in the manufacture of PV module.
 Fig.7: Overview of Payback Period of Solar PV Technology
7.6 Economic Sustainability of Solar PV Module:
The only domain in which PV module are not entirely sustainable is the economic domain.
Solar panels ask for huge setup costs which can be a problem in a city like Bahawalpur. The
ratio of setup costs to energy produced can be too high for an ordinary resident of this city.
7.7 Production Sustainability of Solar PV Module:
PV cells maybe renewable when operating but it is hard to label them renewable in production.
The mineral used in the manufacture of solar PV cells is Selenium which is a rare earth material.
For its manufacturers to increase the production of PV cells at an accelerating pace will cause
this mineral to diminish and further manufacturing will be halted. To counter this deficit, it is
required for the manufacturers to search for alternatives which are sustainable at the same time
and abundant in quantity.
7.8 Energy Input Sustainability:
Since the sun is expected to shine for several billion years, the likelihood of solar resource to
diminish is highly impossible. The demand for power generation might increase but the energy
input will remain constant while being immensely abundant. A 40 minute exposure of our
planet to sun contributes for the same amount of energy which is required to power our planet
for the whole year.

8.0 Conclusion:
The geostrategic importance of Bahawalpur and its richness in terms of the solar energy wealth
that is yet o be exploited makes Bahawalpur unique in its kind. The social and environmental
indicators leverage for an increased reliability on solar technology in this region however, the
economic unsustainability can defer this cause and allow Bahawalpur’s energy mix to continue
with conventional fuels.
The solar technology studied in this CEP i.e. the heterogeneous intrinsic thin film has a
comparatively lower efficiency than other PV technologies. However, much research work for
heterogeneous intrinsic thin film is underway which can help for a much lower carbon footprint
for solar PV module manufacture.
The relationship for PV cell efficiency with wind speed and ambient temperature has been
established and proved. Bahawalpur being no exception can experience the same correlation
unless and until the wind is not accumulated with dust particles for which the solar panels will
require frequent maintenance. Manpower is not limited in Bahawalpur for this task and the
social fabric of this city will welcome this new sort of technology. It is not certain about the
long term viability of inducting a new technology while redressing the fossil fuel power
generation, but moving towards a greener energy is the need of time ass Pakistan has been
listed as the seventh most likely to be affected country from climate change by Green Watch.
It is high time for us to consider this resource of nature and its overall feasibility and optimum
energy share in our country.

References:
1. Huld, T., et al., Mapping the performance of PV modules, effects of module type and data
averaging. Solar Energy, 2010. 84(2): p. 324-338.
2. Abdallah, A., et al., Performance of Silicon Heterojunction Photovoltaic modules in Qatar
climatic conditions. Renewable Energy, 2016. 97: p. 860-865.
3. Balaska, A., et al., Performance assessment of five different photovoltaic module technologies
under outdoor conditions in Algeria. Renewable energy, 2017. 107: p. 53-60.
4. Mussard, M. and M. Amara, Performance of solar photovoltaic modules under arid climatic
conditions: A review. Solar Energy, 2018. 174: p. 409-421.
5. Du, Y., et al., Evaluation of photovoltaic panel temperature in realistic scenarios. Energy
Conversion and Management, 2016. 108: p. 60-67.
6. Nogueira, C.E.C., et al., Performance of monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels in a
water pumping system in Brazil. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2015. 51: p.
1610-1616.
7. Hammad, B., et al., Performance and economic comparison of fixed and tracking photovoltaic
systems in Jordan. Renewable and Sustainable energy reviews, 2017. 80: p. 827-839.
8. Said, Z. and A. Mehmood, Standalone photovoltaic system assessment for major cities of
United Arab Emirates based on simulated results. Journal of cleaner production, 2017. 142: p.
2722-2729.
9. Al Harbi, Y., N. Eugenio, and S. Al Zahrani, Photovoltaic-thermal solar energy experiment in
Saudi Arabia. Renewable energy, 1998. 15(1-4): p. 483-486.
10. Edalati, S., M. Ameri, and M. Iranmanesh, Comparative performance investigation of mono-
and poly-crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules for use in grid-connected photovoltaic
systems in dry climates. Applied energy, 2015. 160: p. 255-265.
11. Bouraiou, A., et al., Analysis and evaluation of the impact of climatic conditions on the
photovoltaic modules performance in the desert environment. Energy Conversion and
Management, 2015. 106: p. 1345-1355.
12. Tebibel, H. and S. Labed, Performance results and analysis of self-regulated PV system in
Algerian Sahara. Renewable energy, 2013. 60: p. 691-700.
13. Schwingshackl, C., et al., Wind effect on PV module temperature: Analysis of different
techniques for an accurate estimation. Energy Procedia, 2013. 40: p. 77-86.
14. CARBON FOOTPRINT OF
ELECTRICITY GENERATION. 2006, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.