Monocrystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Research Articles

Coupling of photovoltaics with neurostimulation electrodes—optical to electrolytic transduction

Objective. The wireless transfer of power for driving implantable neural stimulation devices has garnered significant attention in the bioelectronics field. This study explores the potential of photovoltaic (PV) power transfer, utilizing tissue-penetrating deep-red light—a novel and promising approach that has received less attention compared to traditional induction or ultrasound techniques. Our objective is to critically assess key parameters for directly powering neurostimulation electrodes with PVs, converting light impulses into neurostimulation currents. Approach. We systematically investigate varying PV cell size, optional series configurations, and coupling with microelectrodes fabricated from a range of materials such as Pt, TiN, IrO x , Ti, W, PtO x , Au, or poly(3,4 ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate). Additionally, two types of PVs, ultrathin organic PVs and monocrystalline silicon PVs, are compared. These combinations are employed to drive pairs of electrodes with different sizes and impedances. The readout method involves measuring electrolytic current using a straightforward amplifier circuit. Main results. Optimal PV selection is crucial, necessitating sufficiently large PV cells to generate the desired photocurrent. Arranging PVs in series is essential to produce the appropriate voltage for driving current across electrode/electrolyte impedances. By carefully choosing the PV arrangement and electrode type, it becomes possible to emulate electrical stimulation protocols in terms of charge and frequency. An important consideration is whether the circuit is photovoltage-limited or photocurrent-limited. High charge-injection capacity electrodes made from pseudo-faradaic materials impose a photocurrent limit, while more capacitive materials like Pt are photovoltage-limited. Although organic PVs exhibit lower efficiency than silicon PVs, in many practical scenarios, stimulation current is primarily limited by the electrodes rather than the PV driver, leading to potential parity between the two types. Significance. This study provides a foundational guide for designing a PV-powered neurostimulation circuit. The insights gained are applicable to both in vitro and in vivo applications, offering a resource to the neural engineering community.

Research Collaboration of ITENAS Bandung – Indonesia and MATE Godollo – Hungary on the Photovoltaic Thematic Field: Achievements and Future Plan

Since the agreement was signed officially in 2013, Institut Teknologi Nasional Bandung (ITENAS Bandung) – Indonesia and Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE Godollo) – Hungary have implemented a lot of scholarly activities, and one of them is research collaboration in the field of solar energy, especially in the thematic field of photovoltaic (PV). A set of experimental facilities has been developed and constructed to support related research. Basic facilities to understand the principle of electricity generated by PV, i.e., having the solar power plant (SPP) laboratory scale have been fulfilled by both universities. MATE Godollo has a 10 kWp SPP installation and uses polycrystalline and amorphous silicon PV modules, meanwhile, ITENAS Bandung has 1 kWp SPP and uses monocrystalline silicon PV modules. In this paper, a set of activities related to PV research collaboration between ITENAS Bandung and MATE Godollo will be elaborated, including the output and the outcome of the activities, and plan activities involving other university partners, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra – Slovakia and Czech University of Life Science Prague, Czech Republic.

Degradation and energy performance evaluation of mono-crystalline photovoltaic modules in Egypt

Degradation reduces the capability of solar photovoltaic (PV) production over time. Studies on PV module degradation are typically based on time-consuming and labor-intensive accelerated or field experiments. Understanding the modes and methodologies of degradation is critical to certifying PV module lifetimes of 25 years. Both technological and environmental conditions affect the PV module degradation rate. This paper investigates the degradation of 24 mono-crystalline silicon PV modules mounted on the rooftop of Egypt's electronics research institute (ERI) after 25 years of outdoor operation. Degradation rates were determined using the module's performance ratio, temperature losses, and energy yield. Visual inspection, I–V characteristic measurement, and degradation rate have all been calculated as part of the PV evaluation process. The results demonstrate that the modules' maximum power ({P}_{max}) has decreased in an average manner by 23.3% over time. The degradation rates of short-circuit current ({I}_{sc}) and maximum current ({I}_{m}) are 12.16% and 7.2%, respectively. The open-circuit voltage ({V}_{oc}), maximum voltage ({V}_{m}), and fill factor (FF) degradation rates are 2.28%, 12.16%, and 15.3%, respectively. The overall performance ratio obtained for the PV system is 85.9%. After a long time of operation in outdoor conditions, the single diode model's five parameters are used for parameter identification of each module to study the effect of aging on PV module performance.

Regional planning of solar photovoltaic technology based on LCA and multi-objective optimization

Solar power is a crucial force in renewable energy. The production of solar photovoltaic (PV) has nonnegligible effects on the environment, and the economic properties of various PV technologies range. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Multi-objective Optimization (MOO) methodologies were utilized in this research to establish an optimization model of PV technology regional planning that took into account combined environmental impacts and Electricity Supply Cost (ESC). Through NSGA-II genetic algorithm, the Pareto optimal solution with the minimum environmental pollution and the lowest economic cost in the whole life cycle of solar PV technology is obtained. The results demonstrated that toxic environmental impacts are the primary categories of crystalline silicon PV panels' potential environmental impacts, and monocrystalline silicon PV technology is the more advantageous choice when considering environmental impact and ESC. Results of sensitivity analysis indicated that uncertain factors would affect the scheme selection. This research offers a planning methodology for regional sustainable development of solar PV technology considering both environmental and economic objectives.

Experimental Study to Improve Solar Photovoltaic Performance by Utilizing PCM and Finned Wall

The temperature of a photovoltaic (PV) module has a significant impact on the module's ability to produce electricity. PV cells module’s passive cooling is critical for increasing electrical efficiency and power output. In this work, two scenarios of the passive cooling technique were presented for use in the cooling of the monocrystalline silicon PV modules. An aluminium finned wall and a combination of aluminium finned wall with phase change material were connected to the backside of the PV in order to bring the working temperature down and maintain it under the hot climate conditions in southern Iraq. Paraffin wax was employed as a PCM placed into an aluminium container with internal and exterior longitudinal aluminium fins in order to enhance the PCM's poor thermal conductivity, speed up the rates at which it melts and solidifies, and increase the amount of heat that is dissipated through free convection heat transfer. The PV modules were simultaneously tested and compared with a PV reference module under different solar radiation. According to the findings, the average temperature of the PV-Aluminium Finned wall-PCM module is reduced by 19.9 degrees Celsius when compared with the temperature of the reference PV module. This results in an increase in the average maximum output power of up to 23.1% compared to an identical reference PV module. Furthermore, the average electrical efficiency of the PV-Aluminium Finned wall-PCM is enhanced by 23.2% during the testing time from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM in July 2022 at maximum solar radiation of 1130.7 W/m2 when compared with the PV reference module under the same conditions. This indicates a significant increase in both electrical and thermal performance. The testing took place in July 2022.

Life cycle assessment of photovoltaic electricity production by mono-crystalline solar systems: a case study in Canada.

Photovoltaic (PV) system is widely recognized as one of the cleanest technologies for electricity production, which transforms solar energy into electrical energy. However, there are considerable amounts of emissions during its life cycle. In this study, life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to evaluate the environmental and human health impacts of PV electricity production in Canada. The PV potential varies considerably among the provinces, with higher values in Manitoba (MB), Saskatchewan (SK), Alberta (AB), and southern Ontario (ON). A grid-connected slanted-roof mono-crystalline silicon (mono-Si) PV system with a capacity of 3 kWp (the peak power of the system in kilowatts) in Toronto, Ontario, was considered as the case study system. Ten impact categories were considered including (1) acidification, (2) carcinogenic, (3) ecotoxicity, (4) eutrophication, (5) fossil fuel depletion, (6) global warming, (7) non-carcinogenic, (8) ozone depletion, (9) respiratory effects, and (10) smog. Among the four components of the PV system, i.e., mono-Si panel, mounting system, inverter, and electric installation, the mono-Si panel production was the highest contributor in seven out of ten impact categories, including acidification (68%), eutrophication (60%), fossil fuel depletion (81%), global warming (77%), ozone depletion (88%), respiratory effects (74%), and smog (70%). For the other three processes, the electric installation contributed most to ecotoxicity at 58%, followed by the mounting system in the carcinogenic category (29%), and the inverter in the non-carcinogenic category (31%). By normalizing the impacts based on the reference scores in Canada, it was found that the ecotoxicity and carcinogenic categories had dominant contributions to the overall impact by 53% and 42%, respectively. The global warming potential impact was estimated as 79 gr CO2 eq /kWh, which is close to the mean value of 79.5 gr CO2 eq /kWh, reported in the literature. The sensitivity analysis indicated that a 10% increase in the panel and mounting system area will increase the ozone depletion and carcinogenic categories by 8.1% and 2.8%, respectively.

The technical and economic potential of urban rooftop photovoltaic systems for power generation in Guangzhou, China

With the adoption of carbon peak and carbon neutrality targets, countries and cities must spend more on renewable energy to replace polluting and emitting traditional fossil energy sources. Distributed rooftop photovoltaic (PV) cells, in comparison to hydropower and wind generation, use only space and radiation resources and are the least restricted by geography and climate, making them a significant choice for communities looking to create green electricity. Using Guangzhou, a city in southern China, as an example, we offer four installation scenarios based on rooftop area data and research on relevant characteristics and analyze the technical and economic potential of PV power generation on the rooftops of urban buildings. The following conclusions are reached: the rooftop area in Guangzhou suitable for PV installation is 391.7 km2, with a maximum potential power generation capacity of 44.06–72.12 billion kWh per year, which could lower Guangzhou’s greenhouse gas emissions from the power industry by 70.12–100%. The optimal economics are reached with a 20° installation tilted angle and monocrystalline silicon PV panel material, with a 6-year payback period.

Determining solar cell parameters and degradation rates from power production data

• Power production data can be used to infer solar cell parameters. • Heuristic algorithms can extract these parameters from a few data points. • This method can be used to understand photovoltaic degradation remotely. • This approach is scalable and not very sensitive to environmental data. Practical but accurate methods that can assess the performance of photovoltaic (PV) systems are essential to all stakeholders in the field. This study proposes a simple approach to extract the solar cell parameters and degradation rates of a PV system from commoditized power generation and weather data. Specifically, the teaching-learning-based optimization algorithm was used to estimate the single-diode model parameters of a monocrystalline silicon PV module from a handful of power production data points that capture the operating current and voltage under real working temperatures and irradiance levels. These parameters can reproduce the solar panel’s actual behavior under all operating conditions and provide insights into its underlying degradation mechanisms. The results were validated by site measurements as well as a sensitivity analysis, thus offering exciting possibilities for the future of PV performance analysis, power forecasting, and remote fault detection for real-life applications.

Estimation of Solar Radiation on a PV Panel Surface with an Optimal Tilt Angle Using Electric Charged Particles Optimization

Solar energy is a promising renewable energy source that can fulfill the world’s current and future energy needs. The angle at which a photovoltaic (PV) panel faces the horizon determines the incidence of solar radiation. The incident solar radiation on PV panels could be optimized by adjusting their tilt angles and increasing the power output of the PV array. In this study, solar energy model-based research was conducted in the Saudi Arabian cities of Dhahran and Makkah. This study investigated the performance of a 1 kW monocrystalline silicon PV array in these cities. Analyzing the optimal tilt angle for efficiency and performance improvement of the PV panel is challenging. The optimal tilt angle is determined by combining the data of the Sun’s diffuse, direct radiation and the global horizontal Sun radiation. This research examined the four empirical models by applying the electric charged particle optimization (ECPO) algorithm to estimate the solar radiation on sloped surfaces. The model’s results were compared to the global horizontal solar radiation based on the daily mean solar radiation value in these cities. The Hay–Davies–Klucher–Reindel model presented the maximum amount of tilted surface solar radiation in the year and at different periods. In contrast, the Badescu model exhibited the weakest results of all the isotropic and anisotropic models. Finally, using the ECPO algorithm, all models indicated that tilted surfaces (IT) received more solar radiation than horizontal surfaces (Ig).

Quantification of the Impact of Fine Particulate Matter on Solar Energy Resources and Energy Performance of Different Photovoltaic Technologies.

Ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) could be a potential environmental risk for decreasing the available solar energy resources and solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation. This study quantifies the attenuation effects of PM2.5 on surface solar irradiance and system performance of different solar PV technologies in Hong Kong. The analysis based on observational irradiation data shows that the global horizontal irradiance decreased by more than 5% in most months under the conditions of PM2.5 concentration exceeding 33.5 μg/m3. During the experiment, the average PM2.5-related losses in the energy output of crystalline silicon and thin-film PV systems could be up to 7.00 and 9.73%, respectively. The measured energy outputs of the experimental PV modules suggest that PM2.5 affects the energy performance of thin-film solar cells with a larger band gap more significantly than that of crystalline silicon PV modules. Moreover, an increasing trend in the performance ratio of monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, and copper indium gallium selenide PV systems with the increase of PM2.5 concentration is observed. In contrast, the amorphous silicon and cadmium telluride PV systems with a narrower spectral response range show a decreasing trend in the performance ratio over the experiment. Results indicate that the losses in the available solar energy resources and PV energy potential are expected to increase in areas where heavier PM2.5 pollution exists.

Monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic mitigation of potential-induced degradation using SiO2 thin film and + 1000 V biasing

Potential-induced degradation (PID) of photovoltaic (PV) modules is a severe form of degradation in PV modules, where power losses depend on the strength of the electric field, the relative humidity, and temperature. Therefore, understanding how PID influence the performance of PV modules is fundamental to reducing problems caused by such degradation. Previous studies have only considered single effects of PID; however, this work investigates the power losses and the development of hotspots in two different monocrystalline silicon PV modules. The origin of the hotpots is when the examined modules are being affected by severe PID, which results in cracks and materials deterioration. The first module is SiO2-free, and the second module contains this thin film layer. In addition, a PID mitigation procedure of + 1000 V has been applied and its effect examined on the modules. The modules were examined under electroluminescence (EL) and thermal imaging. Following these PID experiments, it was found that the SiO2 layer is suitable for deploying commercial PV modules to prevent hotspots and PID. However, applying + 1000 V PID mitigation does not necessarily improve the modules' performance after being affected by PID.

Numerical simulation and experimental study of a novel hybrid system coupling photovoltaic and solar fuel for electricity generation

Development of solar power is a promising route to achieve the target of carbon neutrality. However, the cost-effective conversion of full spectrum solar energy is always a challenge because of the limitations of individual photovoltaics and solar thermal power. Here, a novel concentrated solar power system is proposed, which properly partitions incoming solar energy between the photovoltaics and thermochemistry, by the sunlight concentrating and spectral splitting method of parabolic trough collector. The partial visible and near-infrared sunlight is converted to electricity using the monocrystalline silicon photovoltaics, and the other sunlight drives methanol decomposition reaction to generate solar syngas, as a fuel in solid oxide fuel cell, providing flexible and stable electrical power. Mathematical model and finite element method are combined to calculate PV power and thermochemical power respectively. Furthermore, a solar power experimental platform is designed and experimentally tested. A solar power of 1532 W and a realistic solar power efficiency of 26.4% are achieved, with a maximum dispatchability exceeding 80%. Compared with the concentrated solar power systems existing, the proposed system shows a great competitiveness and potential both in conversion efficiency and electrical dispatchability for large-scale application. The novel solar power system can be considered an applicable and feasible approach to full spectrum solar conversion.

Dye‐sensitized solar cells as promising candidates for underwater photovoltaic applications

AbstractHarvesting solar energy using photovoltaic (PV) cells is the simplest, efficient, and reliable approach to power marine electronics. Installing PV above or under water provides cooling and cleaning to sustain the power conversion efficiency. Previous work on commercially available silicon‐based PV quantified the performance of PV with different submerged environments and showed promising results in harvesting available underwater solar energy. Subsequent, theoretical studies point to enormous potential of using wide‐band‐gap PV in underwater conditions. With this motivation, herein for the first time, a dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) employing wide‐bandgap ruthenium sensitizers (1.8 eV) have been tested under submerged conditions. The DSSCs were characterized under submerged conditions up to 20 cm. Four replicates provided data detailing DSSCs potential for underwater PV applications when compared with the previously collected data for monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and amorphous silicon PV. Although the light intensity under water decreases with an increase in depths, the rate of decrease in power output for DSSCs was only 40.68%, which was less than the traditional monocrystalline and polycrystalline silicon PV by approximately 20–25%. Also, compared with amorphous silicon PV, DSSCs showed a slightly better performance by 2–3%, clearly displaying the capability of DSSCs to harvest indirect/diffused lights in comparison with the conventional PVs. Compared with the conventional PVs, indigenously fabricated DSSCs showed tremendous relative increase in performance in underwater conditions. Further work is underway to further optimize DSSCs even though it can be concluded that with added advantages of simple fabrication process and cost‐effectiveness, DSSCs have enormous future potential for underwater PV applications.

Performance evaluation of monocrystalline and polycrystalline silicon solar photovoltaic modules under low and high irradiance conditions in Kumasi, Ghana


 
 
 One of the biggest drawbacks of photovoltaic (PV) for many applications is the uncertainty in the energy output due to losses attributed to efficiency loss at low irradiance levels. In this study, the electrical performance of as received monocrystalline silicon (mono-c-Si) and polycrystalline silicon (poly-c-Si) PV modules were evaluated at high and low irradiance conditions in Kumasi, Ghana using I-V Tracer. The low irradiance level of 200W/m2 was achieved by covering the surface of the PV modules with a calibrated mesh screen. Maximum output power (Pmax) of 87.9 W and 136.7 W were recorded for the mono-c-Si and poly-c-Si modules at high irradiance respectively. The corresponding average values at low irradiance were 8.29 W and 12.13 W representing percentage reductions of 90.57% and 91.60% respectively for the two technologies. These results indicate that when irradiance drops to 200 W/m2 and below, the PV modules generate around only 10% of their nominal output power. This has implications for the number of modules that are required for installation in areas that experience many hours of low irradiance. Efficiency reductions of 64.4% and 59.01% for the mono-c-Si and poly-c-Si modules respectively at low irradiance is reported. The results also indicate that the mono-c-Si is affected more by light induced degradation effect than the poly-c-Si module after a few hours of exposure to the natural light. The novelty of this work is that knowledge of the performance at low irradiance will enable designers determine the number of modules required during the sizing of PV plants.
 
 

Photovoltaic Module Fault Detection Based on a Convolutional Neural Network

With the rapid development of solar energy, the photovoltaic (PV) module fault detection plays an important role in knowing how to enhance the reliability of the solar photovoltaic system and knowing the fault type when a system problem occurs. Therefore, this paper proposed the hybrid algorithm of chaos synchronization detection method (CSDM) with convolutional neural network (CNN) for studying PV module fault detection. Four common PV module states were discussed, including the normal PV module, module breakage, module contact defectiveness and module bypass diode failure. First of all, the defects in 16 pieces of 20W monocrystalline silicon PV modules were preprocessed, and there were four pieces of each fault state. When the signal generator delivered high frequency voltage to the PV module, the original signal was measured and captured by the NI PXI-5105 high-speed data acquisition system (DAS) and was calculated by CSDM, to establish the chaos dynamic error map as the image feature of fault diagnosis. Finally, the CNN was employed for diagnosing the fault state of the PV module. The findings show that after entering 400 random fault data (100 data for each fault) into the proposed method for recognition, the recognition accuracy rate of the proposed method was as high as 99.5%, which is better than the traditional ENN algorithm that had a recognition rate of 86.75%. In addition, the advantage of the proposed algorithm is that the mass original measured data can be reduced by CSDM, the subtle changes in the output signals are captured effectively and displayed in images, and the PV module fault state is accurately recognized by CNN.

Test of a spectral splitting prototype hybridizing photovoltaic and solar syngas power generation

Cost-effective solar power generation systems are of vital importance. The efficient use of full-spectrum sunlight has drawn widespread attention in solar power generation. Here, a 2 kWe hybrid prototype coupling monocrystalline silicon photovoltaics and solar syngas fuelling a heat engine is proposed and experimentally tested. Using double-layer parabolic trough mirrors as the concentrator, the full-spectrum sunlight is split into different wavebands. Split visible and near-infrared sunlight are provided for the photovoltaics and converted into electricity, while both ultraviolent and far-infrared sunlight are used to drive methanol decomposition and produce solar syngas as a fuel for internal combustion engines. At a given solar irradiance intensity, the testing results show that the net solar-to-electricity efficiency of the hybrid prototype is 20.2%. Furthermore, comparison experiments are carried out between the hybrid prototype and the individual power system. The results show that the efficiency of the hybrid prototype is 5.2% higher than that of individual concentrated solar photovoltaics. This study provides an innovative approach to synergistically couple photovoltaic and solar thermal fuel for the cascading use of full-spectrum sunlight.

Influence of Dust Deposition on the Electrical Parameters of Silicon-Based Solar Panels Installed in Senegal (Dakar Region)

In recent years, photovoltaic (PV) modules are widely used in many applications around the world. However, this renewable energy is plagued by dust, airborne particles, humidity, and high ambient temperatures. This paper studies the effect of dust soiling on silicon-based photovoltaic panel performance in a mini-solar power plant located in Dakar (Senegal, 14°42'N latitude, 17°28'W longitude). Results of the current-voltage (I - V) characteristics of photovoltaic panels tested under real conditions. We modeled a silicon-based PV cell in a dusty environment as a stack of thin layers of dust, glass and silicon. The silicon layer is modeled as a P-N junction. The study performed under standard laboratory conditions with input data of irradiation at 1000 W/m2, cell temperature at 25°C and solar spectrum with Air Mass (AM) at 1.5 for the monocrystalline silicon PV cell (m-Si). The analysis with an ellipsometer of dust samples collected on photovoltaic panels allowed to obtain the refraction indices (real and imaginary) of these particles which will complete the input parameters of the model. Results show that for a photon flux arriving on dust layer of 70 μm (corresponding to dust deposit of 3.3 g/m2) deposited on silicon-based PV cells, short circuit current decreases from 54 mA (for a clean cell) to 26 mA. Also, conversion efficiency decreases by 50% compared to clean cell and the cell fill factor decreases by 76% - 50% compared to reference PV cell.

Exploring the development of nanocomposite encapsulation solutions for enhancing the efficiency of PV systems using optical modelling

Plasmon enhanced luminescent down-shifting (PLDS) represents a passive design strategy in which the narrow spectral responsivity of photovoltaics (PVs) is increased through the application of a semi-transparent, fluorescent, polymer nanocomposite encapsulation. However, the additional loss pathways facilitated through the integration of the PLDS layer into the optical system must be overcome for the retrofitted structure to offer an enhancement to the underlying PV-device. In this study, through exploiting the antireflection properties of thin films and PLDS coatings, some of these loss mechanisms were addressed using a transfer matrix model. Two initial designs of this structure enhanced (SE) PLDS architecture were developed for a monocrystalline silicon (mc-Si) PV device using Ag nanoparticles to modify the properties of the poly (methyl-methacrylate) - PMMA encapsulation and antireflection coatings (ARC). Through the careful consideration of the composition and optical thickness of the ARC and the position at which it is integrated within the stratified SE-PLDS architecture, a 52% enhancement of the photocurrent is predicted to be produced, as compared to the conventional PV-device. Reducing the SE-PLDS layer's thickness further extended the improvement up to a 55% total enhancement in the mc-Si cell electrical generating capacity, even in the absence of plasmon assisted photoluminescence.

Effects of Dynamic Operational Conditions on Thermal Infrared Imaging of Monocrystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Modules

Abstract Photovoltaic (PV) modules installed in the field generate electrical power under different meteorological and operational conditions; therefore, maintenance of the modules is crucial for the longevity of the PV modules. Thermal infrared (TIR) imaging is a widely used monitoring technique for quality checks of PV modules in plants. It is ideally conducted on operational PV modules under steady ambient conditions; however, PV modules operate under dynamic climatic conditions which influence the overall operation of all solar cells and modules. The dynamic nature of thermal signatures was observed on TIR images when monocrystalline PV modules operated under varying electrical loads and irradiance. A change in operating conditions affected the level of current mismatch between cells since at high irradiance of about 1000 watts per square meter (W m−2) and while operating close to short circuit current at reduced load, the PV cells generated a higher current which led to significant current mismatch. This resulted in several abnormally hot cells being identified on TIR images. Under lower irradiance and larger electrical loads, fewer hot cells were observed and cracked cells (identified through Electroluminescence (EL)) appeared as good cells due to minimal current mismatch. The effectiveness of TIR imaging to reveal underperforming defective cells as hot cells depends on the operating conditions and can mislead decision-making when PV module maintenance is carried out. This work gives valuable information which can be of importance in improving the maintenance systems of PV modules when TIR imaging is conducted.

Investigation of Solar Photovoltaic-Thermal (PVT) and Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Performance: A Case Study in Ghana

The main objective of this paper is to experimentally assess the real-life outdoor performance of a photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) module against a conventional photovoltaic (PV) system in a hot humid tropical climate in Ghana. An experimental setup comprising a water-based mono-crystalline silicon PVT and an ordinary mono-crystalline silicon PV was installed on a rooftop at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi and results evaluated for the entire year of 2019. It was observed that the annual total output energy of PV module was 194.79 kWh/m2 whereas that of the PVT for electrical and thermal outputs were 149.92 kWh/m2 and 1087.79 kWh/m2, respectively. The yearly average daily electrical energy yield for the PV and PVT were 3.21 kWh/kWp/day and 2.72 kWh/kWp/day, respectively. The annual performance ratios for the PV and PVT (based on electrical energy output only) were 79.2% and 51.6%, respectively, whilst their capacity factors were, respectively, 13.4% and 11.3%. Whereas the highest monthly mean efficiency recorded for the PV was 12.7%, the highest combined measured monthly mean electrical/thermal efficiency of the PVT was 56.1%. It is also concluded that the PVT is a worthy prospective alternative energy source in off-grid situations.