ABSTRACT
The determination of the Nominal Operation Cell Temperature (NOCT) of a module in a reliable way is important to predict the behaviour of the module in real operating conditions, being an useful parameter when comparing the performance of different module designs. Two IEC standards, IEC 1215 and IEC 1646 indicate the method to calculate NOCT in crystalline silicon terrestrial PV modules and thin film terrestrial PV modules respectively. Such standards have been applied to different types of PV modules, including especial designs for building integration applications and thin-film modules. The paper shows the results obtained when calculating the NOCT in accordance to the mentioned standards to different types of PV modules, including glass-glass, glass-tedlar, crystalline and thin film samples. Possible error sources that can bring about erroneous values of NOCT are analysed and points that might need clarification are suggested.
