Abstract
Photovoltaic backsheets have considerable impact on the collective performance of solar cells. Material components should withstand certain temperatures and loads while maintaining high thermal stability under various weather conditions. Solar modules must demonstrate increased reliability, adequate performance, safety, and durability throughout the course of their lifetime. This work presents a novel solar module. The module consists of an innovative polyvinylidene fluoride-short sugar palm fiber (PVDF-SSPF) composite backsheet within its structure. It was electrically and thermally evaluated. The current-voltage characteristics (I-V) were obtained using the solar module analyzer, PROVA 210PV. A thermal evaluation was accomplished using a temperature device, SDL200. The thermal test consisted of two different assessments. The first targeted the surface and backsheet of the developed module to correlate their performance from within. The second assessment compared the thermal performance of the fabricated backsheet with the conventional one. Both tests were combined into a heatmap analysis to further understand the thermal performance. Results revealed that the developed module exhibited reasonable electrical efficiency, achieving appropriate and balanced I-V curves. PVDF-SSPF backsheets proved to be thermally stable by displaying less heat absorbance and better temperature shifts. Additional research efforts are highly encouraged to investigate other characteristics. To enhance performance, further analyses are needed such as the damp heat analysis, accelerated aging analysis, and heat dissipation phenomena.
Highlights
Photovoltaic (PV) backsheets are critical components of solar modules
The main development procedure was to replace a commercial backsheet with the novel backsheet structure consisting of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and short sugar palm fiber (SSPF) composites
A protective layer was placed between the solar cells and PVDF-SSPF backsheet composites
Summary
Photovoltaic (PV) backsheets are critical components of solar modules. Appropriate selection of materials is required for modules to exhibit higher performance and reliable results [1]. PV module backsheets are exposed to aggressive field environments such as mechanical loads, moisture, and combined temperature cycles. PVDF is a thermoplastic polymer known for its high impact strength, altered density, solubility, thermal expansion, hardness, and degree of crystallinity It has superior pyroelectric and piezoelectric coefficients. Conductive polymers exhibited compelling evidence of having eminent control over electrical stimuli They possess outstanding properties compared to other electroactive biomaterials; i.e., electrets, piezoelectric, and photovoltaic materials [8]. Short natural fibers can adjust the dielectric response of designated polymeric matrices They are suitable for predicting various factors that influence the characterization of NFCs. They are suitable for predicting various factors that influence the characterization of NFCs This can help determine their electrical, biological, and mechanical properties [9]. An evaluation was conducted to assess the module’s functionality and to understand the complex behavior of composites under various weather conditions and working arrangements
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