Abstract
Atmospheric factors, such as clouds, wind, dust, or aerosols, play an important role in the power generation of photovoltaic (PV) plants. Among these factors, soiling has been revealed as one of the most relevant causes diminishing the PV yield, mainly in arid zones or deserts. The effect of soiling on the PV performance can be analyzed by means of I–V curves measured simultaneously on two PV panels: one soiled and the other clean. To this end, two I–V tracers, or one I–V tracer along with a multiplexer, are needed. Unfortunately, these options are usually expensive, and only one I–V tracer is typically available at the site of interest. In this work, the design of a low-cost multiplexer is described. The multiplexer is controlled by a low-cost single-board microcontroller manufactured by ArduinoTM, and is capable of managing several pairs of PV panels almost simultaneously. The multiplexer can be installed outdoors, in contrast to many commercial I–V tracers or multiplexers. This advantage allows the soiling effect to be monitored on two PV panels, by means of I–V indoor tracers. I–V curves measured by the low-cost multiplexer are also presented, and preliminary results are analyzed.
Highlights
Solar photovoltaic (PV) power is the fastest growing energy source in the world
Power loss for long periods, but to show some particular study cases proving the utility of the Universidad de Huelva (UHU)-MUX multiplexer presented
The UHU-MUX multiplexer was installed at the Universidad de Almería in January
Summary
Solar photovoltaic (PV) power is the fastest growing energy source in the world. In the last few decades, PV technology has experienced fast market development due to the associated price reduction and improvement of efficiency. Despite this favorable trend, the PV sector must be further improved to meet the developing worldwide power request. To this end, PV modules need to be properly characterized under real working conditions, in order to evaluate the discrepancies regarding the information provided by manufacturers and, to allow for the optimization of PV plants
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.