13 www.banglajol.info/index.php/JSF Original Article Outdoor Performance Characterization of the Poly-crystalline Silicon Solar Module Indra Bahadur Karki 1 Abstract The outdoor performance characterization of the poly-crystalline silicon solar PV module was studied. Daily solar illumination data were measured using two pyranometers and analyzed together with the module output power. The present paper reports the temperature dependencies of full-spectrum photovoltaic parameters for poly-crystalline PV module. The measurements were performed under outdoor environment conditions. The most interesting feature that was observed for these devices is that above a cell temperature of 20 0 C the positive temperature coefficient observed for the short-circuit current exceeds in magnitude the negative temperature coefficient that was found for the open-circuit voltage. This means that, unlike the situation for conventional PV module, these cells actually exhibit decrease in efficiency with increasing temperature. [Journal of Science Foundation 2018;16(1):13-19] Keywords: Photovoltaic; temperature coefficient; polycrystalline solar cell; conversion efficiency [Reviewed: 30 July 2017; Accepted on: 1 October 2017; Published on: 1 January 2018] 1. Introduction Nowadays, many types of different photovoltaic (PV) modules are commercially available in the market. There are three main types of PV module technology which are monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon thin-film (a-Si TF). More efficient PV modules will lead to smaller PV array installations, generally comes from crystalline silicon with high power generation as well as the conversion efficiency vary up 12.0 to 24.2% (Green et al., 2012). Solar PV systems are also one of the most “democratic” renewable technologies, in that their modular size means that they are within the reach of individuals, co-operatives and small-businesses who want to access their own generation and lock-in electricity prices (Irena 2012). The conversion efficiency of most solar cells decreases as the operating temperature increases, mainly due to a decrease in the optimum output voltage. PV solar panels are composed of solar cells. A solar cell is an electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity (DC) by the photovoltaic effect. Solar cells created with silicon seem to be the most widely used today, but many companies and scientists have been in the lab trying to concoct a more efficient cell, and ultimately, solar panel system. The basic material used for production of the solar cells is silicon. Solar Cell is a device that converts light directly into DC (direct current) electricity. Solar Cell can be distinguish in three cell types according to the type of crystal i.e., monocrystalline, polycrystalline and 1 Dr. Indra Bahadur Karki, Associate Professor of Physics, Patan Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University,Kathmandu; & Secretary, Nepal Physical Society, Ghantaghar, Kathmandu; Cell:+977-9849-384455; Email: indrakarky@gmail.com Copyright: ©2018. Karki. Published by Journal of Science Foundation. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International CC BY-NC License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). This license permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and is not used for commercial purposes. Journal of Science Foundation January 2018, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 13-19 ISSN (Print) 1728-7855 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jsf.v16i1.38174