Investigation on the effects of shadow on output performance and thermal characteristic of the solar array on stratospheric aerostat

摘要

The attenuation of solar direct radiation passing through stratospheric balloon has great impacts on solar array output performance and thermal characteristic. The thermal characteristic of solar array with balloon shadows taken into account is rare. In this study, we established a theoretical model which consists of solar radiation model, shadow model, thermal model and energy output power model to evaluate their power performance and thermal characteristic under shaded conditions. Based on the theoretical model, a MATLAB simulation program was developed. For model validation, solar array performances are simulated and compared with literature results. Comparing the results of calculation whether balloon shadow is considered or not, the balloon shadow greatly affects the output power and temperature of solar array. Effects of the date, latitude, rope length on the output performance and thermal characteristic of solar array were investigated in detail. The results show that the balloon shadow covering the solar array effectively reduces the direct solar radiation received by the solar array, which has contributed to the decline of the output power and average temperature of the solar array. In addition, it is found that choosing the appropriate rope length can effectively reduce the detrimental effects of the balloon shadow. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.