  As NASA prepares to carry out its Artemis lunar missions, the design and
planning of robust power systems tailored to the lunar environment become
necessary and urgent. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are among the most
suitable power generators for lunar applications given the abundant solar
irradiance the lunar surface receives as a result of the lack of an atmosphere.
However, the vastly different environmental conditions of the moon compared to
those on Earth call for special reconsiderations to the traditional PV power
output models used for terrestrial applications. The substantially wider range
of temperatures on the moon combined with the absence of atmosphere implies the
PV will operate at very different thermal conditions. Therefore, this paper
proposes a PV power output model that determines PV cell temperature on the
lunar surface based on lunar ambient temperature as well as solar irradiance,
while also capturing these special lunar conditions. The model is based on
thermal exchange via the three main heat transfer paths: heat radiation,
absorption, and convection. Moreover, four different array configurations are
presented and compared to determine the most suitable choice based on energy
generation and complexity for different locations around the moon.
