Conventional Solar Modules Research Articles

The Economic Value of New Sustainable Products: The Case of Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT) Hybrid Solar Collectors

Among green energy technologies, solar power is a promising technology in the net-zero era of the power industry. Conventional solar modules have decreasing efficiency weaknesses as the temperature rises, whereas photovoltaic thermal (PVT) systems do not remove heat from the module or lower the temperature. However, the profitability of PVT systems has been underestimated. The profitability of new convergence products, such as PVT technology, entering the market for the first time allows for the evaluation of the appropriate starting price and policy requirements to support the product’s market entrance. We used the contingent valuation method (CVM) to solve this problem. The survey derived the respondents’ mean willingness to pay (WTP) and the total amount of social benefits. Among these CVM models, the one-and-one-half-bound (OOHB) spike model was used to distinguish zero WTP. Based on a survey of 300 households, respondents were willing to pay an additional yearly average income tax of KRW 10,608 (USD 7.90), and the total social benefit of PVT technology was calculated to be KRW 145 billion (USD 108 million). This result shows that individuals evaluate the value of PVT as 3.69% of their monthly electricity bill and 2.8% of their monthly gas bill. Several additional factors that influence WTP were analyzed, indicating a high possibility of PVT adoption by individuals who have replaced or are planning to replace photovoltaic (PV) modules. This study is significant because it examines the economic value of PVT and proposes a focus group for the effective market entry of new carbon neutrality products.

Experimental study on the electrical and thermal characteristics of a hybrid photovoltaic/thermal water solar collector model using photovoltaic solar modules of different brands

• Solar module brand. • Energy gain. • System management modules. • Temperature and quantity of hot water collected by type of module. • Optimization of solar module efficiency. In this work, the results of an experimental study on the thermal and electrical behavior of this hybrid collector model allowed us to determine the electrical and thermal characteristics of water-based PV/T collectors in the climatic conditions of the western region of Cameroon. A prototype was made with monocrystalline solar modules from Canadian solar brands; Trina Solar and Felicity Solar. Tests were carried out and the data collected led us to optimize the electrical and thermal production of photovoltaic solar modules. We obtained an average daily electrical energy gain of 12.3% or 42Wc (Canadian Solar); 11.8% or 35.99Wc (Trina Solar) and 11.1% or 26.5Wc (Felicity Solar) compared to conventional solar module. On the thermal side, we obtained an average daily thermal power of 659.88 W or 12 L of hot water with a temperature of 41 °C for the Canadian Solar module; 659.89 W or 12 L of hot water with a temperature of 41.5 °C for the Trina Solar module and 538.38 W or 10 L of hot water with a temperature of 41 °C for the Felicity solar module. These tests were carried out on an average solar irradiation of 877.88 W/m 2 between 8:05 am and 3:30 pm. This approach allowed us to recover an amount of the electrical power of the modules lost as heat while determining the amount of hot water that can be produced by a PV module. This prototype was produced and experimented with. It also allowed us to observe that the performance of PV/T water systems also varies depending on the brand of solar module chosen.

Simulation study of the electrical yield of various PV module topologies in partially shaded urban scenarios

Urban environments present a great potential to generate electricity with photovoltaic technology. However, this electricity cannot be fully harvested using conventional solar modules that have been designed for open landscapes. In urban environments, photovoltaic modules can often be subject to partial shading caused by trees and building structures. Therefore, new photovoltaic module concepts and designs must be explored to increase the shading tolerance of PV modules. This study proposes a simple yet effective approach to compare the potential of different module topologies for maximising the electrical yield of partially shaded photovoltaic systems. Using this approach, the annual electrical performance of various PV module topologies in different urban environments and climates is simulated and compared to determine the potential benefit of using photovoltaic modules with new topologies. Results suggest that the shading tolerance of conventional solar modules can be significantly improved by adding only a few bypass diodes or parallel interconnections. It is shown that the yield of a partially shaded PV system endowed with conventional solar modules could be increased as much as 25% when shading is caused by nearby obstructions.

Research on the effect of encapsulation material on anti-PID performance of 1500 V solar module

Low cost and high efficiency has always been the goal of the photovoltaic (PV, solar) industry. With the continuous development of the solar industry, the scale of the solar plant also gradually expanded. Increasing the system voltage can increase the number of solar module in series and reduce the use of inverters, to reduce the cost of the PV system. However, the increase of system voltage will increase the risk of PID (potential-induced-degradation) phenomenon of solar modules, resulting in the decline of solar module power and affecting power generation efficiency. Therefore, to study and solve the anti-PID effect problem of solar modules under high system voltage can effectively improve the income of PV plants. In this paper, the influence of solar module encapsulation materials such as glass, EVA and backsheet on the anti-PID performance of solar module under the condition of 1500 V voltage is systematically studied. It is found that the increase of voltage has significant and continuous PID effect on the crystalline silicon solar module. Compared with different encapsulations, it is concluded that the selection of polyolefin (PO) material as encapsulation film can effectively mitigate the PID effect of conventional solar module under high voltage pressure. The double-glass solar module with glass replacing the backsheet was further investigated, and it was found that the double-glass solar module still had significant anti-PID performance under 1500 V bias.

Plasmonic optical enhancement of solar module

An advanced solar module of light enhancement is presented in this paper. The light enhancement was dominated by a layer of sputtered-deposited Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on the encapsulant material (ethylene vinyl acetate, EVA). It was found that surface plasmonic resonance effects of Ag NPs increase the transmittance at the wavelength of (500~800) nm by around 2% as detected by IPCE profile. The photovoltaic performance of solar modules showed a current enhancement with Ag-EVA sample, and a high power output around 0.250 W was observed compared to the conventional solar module. A high fill factor of 73.63% also implied a high performance in series and shunt resistance. This paper not only illustrated the performance of the surface plasmonic resonance of a solar device but also verified the application in the industrial production.

RESEARCH OF EFFICIENCY OF THE USE OF POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS ON THE BASIS OF PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES FOR INDEPENDENT CONSUMERS IN VENEZUELA

In the Republic of Venezuela, the government adopted a development program of power supply of the population on the basis of solar energy use. Therefore an urgent task is to determine the structure and parameters of scheme of power supply, and also to evaluate the efficiency of use of different types of solar modules for the conditions of the country. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the efficiency of silicon solar modules and solar modules with a holographic concentrator, each with and without water cooling systems, in the operational conditions of the area Alta Guajira in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The paper presents the study results of the effect of the cooling system on the characteristics of the holographic and conventional solar module.