Performance Of Solar Modules Research Articles

Preparation and performance study of solar pavement panel based on transparent Resin-Concrete

In order to realize the transformation and utilization of renewable energy, a new solar pavement module, which can harvest solar energy using often uncovered pavement/road surfaces, is proposed and investigated in this paper. The module consists of a protective layer made of transparent resin-concrete and a built-in solar panel. The effect of different gradations and resin quantities (five gradation type of the glass aggregate, three kinds of resin content) on the optical properties, volume index, and mechanical properties are studied, and the pavement performance. Then a prototype of the module is built according to the optimized mix ratio. The pavement performance and photoelectric performance of solar pavement module were tested. Finally, the glare performance, sustainability of the transparency was conducted, and the economic-environment benefits were evaluated. The observed results of mix ratio design of optimal show that both the gradation type of the glass aggregate and the resin quantity have a significant impact on the optical properties and the mechanical properties but little effect on the volume index. Both the optical properties and compressive strength of the transparent resin-concrete improve with increasing resin fraction, while its density and void-ratio degrade. Considering material properties and cost, the optimal resin content is 43.7%. It was proved that solar pavement module had excellent high-temperature stability, low-temperature crack resistance, good water stability, good impermeability, and good skid resistance. The daily power generation of the solar pavement panel module is 0.152 kWh/m2, which is about 16.28% of the original solar panel. The surface glare of transparent resin-concrete is 1.3 ∼ 1.5 and 1.7 ∼ 5.9 times than that of concrete and asphalt pavements, respectively, and the light-transmission decreases with increasing surface pollutants. The LCOE of transparent resin-concrete solar pavement is 0.175 $/kWh, and can bring considerable economic, and emission reduction benefits.

Dust Deposition’s Effect on Solar Photovoltaic Module Performance: An Experimental Study in India’s Tropical Region

A solar PV panel works with maximum efficiency only when it is operated around its optimum operating point or maximum power point. Unfortunately, the performance of the solar cell is affected by several factors like sun direction, solar irradiance, dust accumulation, module temperature, as well as the load on the system. Dust deposition is one of the most prominent factors that influence the performance of solar panels. Because the solar panel is exposed to the atmosphere, dust will accumulate on its surface, reducing the quantity of sunlight reaching the solar cell and diminishing output. In the proposed work, a detailed investigation of the performance of solar PV modules is carried out under the tropical climatic condition of Chennai, India, where the presence of dust particles is very high. The data corresponding to four different dust samples of various densities at four solar irradiation levels of 220, 525, 702, and 905 W/m2 are collected, and performance analysis is carried out. Based on the analysis carried out, the maximum power loss is found to be 73.51%, 66.29%, 65.46%, and 61.42%, for coal, sand, brick powder, and chalk dust respectively. Hence, it can be said that coal dust contributes to the maximum power loss among all four dust samples. Due to heat dissipation produced by dust deposition, the performance of solar PV modules is degraded as the temperature rose.

Performance and Dye-Stability of Semi-Transparent Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Pavilion Modules after 5 Years of Operation

Performance and Dye-Stability of Semi-Transparent Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Pavilion Modules after 5 Years of Operation

Light-induced performance of SHJ solar modules under 2000 h illumination

The light-induced degradation (LID) of solar module leads to severe loss in generated power due to the formation of recombination active defects. The silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells based on n-type wafers are less affected by the LID test. In this paper, the glass/back sheet structure (GBS) modules with different encapsulant materials (TPO, POE, EVA) were laminated to evaluate their performance changes under 2000 h light soaking stress for the first time. The current-voltage (light I–V, dark I–V) parameters of the modules were measured, as well as the external quantum efficiency (EQE) and electroluminescence (EL), to verify the effect of light irradiation on SHJ solar modules. The SHJ modules with different encapsulant materials show excellent light-induced reliability. There is no degradation after 2000 h light irradiation, and even exhibits light-induced performance increase. The gain in output power (Pmax) is up to 1.41%, which is primarily due to an improved open-circuit Voltage (Voc) and fill factor (FF) as the result of a reduced density of recombination-active interface states. The front sheet/back sheet (FBS) modules also verified the accumulated light-induced stress could result in deteriorating interconnection between SHJ solar cell and ribbon, which suffers from significant output power degradation. The LID-free SHJ solar cells show great potential for lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of photovoltaic power generation.

Energy, exergy performance and analysis of 50w solar photovoltaic module

With the speedy exhaustion of fossil fuels, chances for renewable energy including solar energy are limitless. The solar photovoltaic (PV) system produces both thermal energy and electrical energy by using solar radiation. In this article, an experimental study has been conducted for evaluating the electrical, thermal and exergy output of solar PV panel installed. Energy analysis was performed on the solar PV module by using first law of thermodynamics; exergy analysis was performed to determine the exergy efficiency and losses during the PV conversion by using the second law of thermodynamics. The various electrical and operating factors such as temperature, open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, and overall heat loss coefficient for solar PV module.

Improved performance and stability of perovskite solar modules by interface modulating with graphene oxide crosslinked CsPbBr3 quantum dots

A multifunctional interface modulator GO/(CsPbBr3 QD) composite decreases resistive losses of perovskite solar modules by enhanced charge transport and decreased carrier recombination, as well as inhibiting ion/molecule diffusion.

Performance of crystalline Si solar cells and module on temperature and illumination intensity

A photovoltaic module has been designed from five buspar crystalline silicon solar cells fabricated by Suzhou Talesun Solar Technologies Co., Ltd. Short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage of the modules has been studied as a function of the illumination intensity and temperature in laboratory conditions. Upon increasing the temperature from T = 22 °C to 50 °C open-circuit voltage decreases from ∼9 to ∼7 V whereas short-circuit current slightly increases from 1.88 to 2.00 A. The results have been compared with theoretical results obtained by device modeling by using the software SCAPS-1D. Infrared image has been taken from the module by using the EEFSC computer-controlled photovoltaic solar energy unit. Mass of dust fallen on photovoltaic module has been collected and measured within two-month time. Influence of the dust on transmittance spectra of glass has been studied.

Quantifying the performance gain of 100 cm2 bifacial four terminal perovskite-Si tandem modules

Improving the performance of solar modules requires the implementation of both spectral and directional irradiance optimization. The performance of bifacial four-terminal tandem minimodules with a 100 cm2 area is reported, both indoor and outdoor measurements. We demonstrate a 24.5 mW/cm2 (bifacial irradiance 200 W/m2) bifacial tandem power density, measured according to a tandem adapted IEC60904-1-2 protocol, which constitutes a 3 mW/cm2 gain with respect to monofacial use. In addition, we show that in outdoor measurements bifacial four terminal tandems outperform identical monofacial four terminal tandems by 26% on average, depending on incident angle, injection level and temperature, in a 10% albedo environment. The average gain is higher for outdoor performance than for indoor performance, due to variations in relative rear irradiance.

Performance analysis of a Silicon PV module (100W) in outdoor conditions: Experimental and Simulation study

In this paper, the incident solar radiation on horizontal and tilting surfaces was measured of a year using a pyranometer on the roof of Tanta University's Faculty of Science in Tanta city which is locating at Latitude (30° 41`). The average of daily global hourly solar radiation values on horizontal surfaces (H) and the global hourly solar radiation values on inclined surfaces (Ht) had been measured in the south direction of the sun for the meteorological variables. Miguel et al. correlation was used to determine hourly values of the beam and diffuse components of solar radiation (SR) from global solar irradiance. In order to attain best solar module performance throughout the year, the solar energy devices must be tilted south with a tilting angle equal to Tanta city latitude. The maximum value of Ht was 1174.15 Wm-2 in April and the minimum value of Ht was 816.11Wm-2 in October. The performance of 100 W solar silicon photovoltaic (PV) module in outdoor condition can be studied by depending on the incident values of H and Ht. The obtained results showed that the efficiencies of the 100 W solar PV module in winter, spring, summer and autumn were 4.29, 3.78, 7.56 and 4.58 %, respectively. The Maximum power point (Pmax) was calculated in July and its value was 45.98 W at solar noon and the minimum power point (Pmin) was calculated in October with value equal to 18.56 W at solar noon.

The performance of solar PV modules with two glass types after 11 years of outdoor exposure under the mediterranean climatic conditions

This paper presents an analysis, assessment, and investigation of the degradation performance of the monocrystalline silicon PV modules with two glass types (Float, Textured) exposed outdoor for eleven years under Mediterranean climate conditions in northern Algeria, Bouzareah city, Algeria. In this regard, several protocol tests, experimental and measurement procedures have been developed according to IEC 61215-2 requirements in order to inspect the performance of deployed PV modules by considering their glass types. Where, they have been the subject of several PV inspections such as visual, electrical, PV characterization, and temperature coefficients and thermographic …etc. The inspections, classifications, and statistical analysis results reveal that the deployed PV modules with two glass types suffer mainly from optical failure occurrences. The measured electrical PV parameters (Pmax,Isc,Voc, and FF) of the deployed PV modules have been reduced with annual degradation (1.04%/year, 0.5%/year, 0.3%/year, and 1.04 %/year). In the same way, the temperature coefficients have been influenced by the PV modules degradations as well. Besides, some of the deployed PV modules characteristic curves suffered from inflex point’s exhibition. The thermal inspections show that the deployed PV modules regardless of their glass types caused by the inhomogeneity distribution of the optical failures are significantly affected by minor temperature mismatch. This paper investigates and discusses as well several correlation proposals between the presented PV inspections by considering multiple impacts between these inspections and the performance of the deployed PV modules with their two glass types in view to better understand the PV module degradation.

Solar module orientation and tracking type performance and optimization

The efficiency and performance of solar cells and modules are typically evaluated and reported at normal incidence under peak solar radiation. We present a simple clear-sky model for solar irradiance that can be used to study the angular and annual performance of new photovoltaic materials. Using this model, we study the effect of solar module orientation for fixed-tilt module installations and different types of tracking (seasonal, 1D, and 2D) as a function of latitude. For fixed-tilt modules, the optimum tilt as a fraction of latitude varies from 0.83 at 1 deg to 0.73 at 60 deg. The effect of tilt misorientation for panels at the optimum azimuth is not very strong as the solar irradiance is about 94.5% of its optimum at ±20 deg mistilt. Both azimuth misorientation and tilt misorientation are studied. Optimized tilts and times of year for tilting are also obtained for modules that are seasonally adjusted twice and three times a year. The annual solar insolation of fixed modules is compared with modules that are seasonally adjusted twice and three times a year, continuously tracked in the north/south direction, continuously tracked in the east/west direction, and continuously tracked in two directions. The use of single-axis tracking in the east/west direction is preferable to north/south tracking and potentially improves overall energy collection by 16.2% to 31.0%. Continuous dual-axis tracking enhances overall annual energy collection by 36.0% to 45.5%. The model and provision of open source code provides for a way to assess the performance of new materials.

A PI + Sliding-Mode Controller Based on the Discontinuous Conduction Mode for an Unidirectional Buck–Boost Converter with Electric Vehicle Applications

This paper solves the buck–boost converter operation problem in the discontinuous conduction mode and the feeding a DC bus of a combined battery/solar-powered electric vehicle grid. Since the sun’s radiation has a very important effect on the performance of photovoltaic solar modules due to its continuous variation, the main task of the system under study is the regulation of the output voltage from an MPPT system located at the output of the panels in order to obtain a DC bus voltage that is fixed to 24 V. This is ensured via a double-loop scheme, where the current inner loop relies on sliding-mode control; meanwhile, the outer voltage loop considers a proportional–integral action. Additionally, the current loop implements an adaptive hysteresis logic in order to operate at a fixed frequency. The closed-loop system’s performance is checked via numerical results with respect to step changes in the load, input voltage, and output voltage reference variations.

Advanced analytics on IV curves and electroluminescence images of photovoltaic modules using machine learning algorithms

AbstractAdvanced analysis and monitoring of photovoltaic solar modules is required to maintain the reliable operations of photovoltaic plants. Hence, it requires diagnostics through current–voltage (IV) curves, electroluminescence (EL) imaging, and other measurement techniques. The analysis through IV characterization provides the discerning insight about the quantitative measure of solar module performance, while the image characterization methods on EL images can capture spatial defects with microscopic resolution such as microcracks, broken cells interconnections, shunts, among many other defect types. The fusion of these two methods with supervised and unsupervised machine learning can generate unique insight with classification, regression, and dimension reductions on IV–EL data. In this study, we have performed the IV–EL correlation by classifying the IV data based on EL image annotation (where the class information is coming from EL image). The feature vectors consist of IV curve parameters and statistical features. We have first applied the unsupervised learning algorithms t‐distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t‐SNE) and uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) for dimensionality reduction to understand the importance of various features on EL defect types. Furthermore, we had applied feature selection algorithms before applying the classification algorithms. We have performed the classification of various defect types by applying the random forests (RF) and XGBoost algorithm while identifying the top features. The accuracy was achieved greater than 91% and 95%, respectively, for supervised methods on the top five features. This correlation of IV–EL measurement could benefit in quick identification of various defect types in PV modules with only IV curve parameters, given the classification models are modeled using large‐scale datasets and tuned optimally.

Performance of solar modules integrated with reflector

<span lang="EN-US">This study investigates experimentally the performance of two-dimensional solar tracking systems with reflector using commercial silicon based photovoltaic module, with open and closed loop control systems. Different reflector materials were also investigated. The experiments were performed at the Hashemite University campus in Zarqa at a latitude of 32⁰, in February and March. Photovoltaic output power and performance were analyzed. It was found that the modified photovoltaic module with mirror reflector generated the highest value of power, while the temperature reached a maximum value of 53 ̊ C. The modified module suggested in this study produced 5% more PV power than the two-dimensional solar tracking systems without reflector and produced 12.5% more PV power than the fixed PV module with 26⁰ tilt angle.</span>

Performance of 20w Solar Photovoltaic Module for Energy and Exergy Analysis

The solar photovoltaic system generates both thermal energy and electrical energy by utilizing solar energy. In this paper an experimental attempt has made for calculating energy output as well as exergy output of solar PV panel installed at R.L.J.I.T. Bangalore. Energy and exergy analysis was performed by using first and second law of thermodynamics to evaluate energy and exergy. The framework involved in this process are ambient temperature, overall heat transfer, open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, fill factor, solar radiations etc. It is predicted that temperature of pv solar module has most effect on the efficiencies. By the help of water or air the heat can be removed to improve both energy and exergy efficiencies.

Progress of Perovskite Solar Modules

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) reached 25.5% of certified power conversion efficiency (PCE) in 2020. A remarkable PCE of PSCs has urged scalable technologies to grow for manufacturing modules. Therefore, scalable technology is rapidly developing though the performance of perovskite solar modules (PSMs) is still far behind that of PSCs. Herein, the recent progress in scalable technologies is reviewed with addressing important parameters in each process. In addition, the performance measurement protocols for PSMs are specifically discussed based on International Electrotechnical Commission to be prepared from the industrial point of view. Finally, the environmental hazard impact by accidental lead leakage and the introduction of green solvent to replace of current toxic solvent are described.

A Review on Hybrid Solar PV Air Cooled Module

The cooling of the operating area is an essential operational factor to be taken into account in order to obtain greater efficiency in the operation of photovoltaic systems. Adequate cooling can improve electrical efficiency and reduce the rate of cell damage over time, which helps maximize the life of photovoltaic modules. The excess heat dissipated by the cooling system can be used in a domestic, commercial or industrial setting. Various cooling technologies are included in the review article: hybrid photovoltaic/heating systems cooled by forced air circulation, thermoelectric cooling system, water immersion cooling technology, and improved performance of solar modules using solar cells.

Investigation of fly ash soiling effects on solar modules performances

The increase of solar modules installation worldwide has led to an increase in the investigation of the phenomena that may cause adverse effects on the performance of solar modules, such as soiling. Soiling of solar modules surface leads to a reduction in their performance due to reduced quantity of solar radiation reaching solar cells. Having in mind that (in Serbia) solar modules on the roofs are often located near chimneys, and that for heating fossil fuels are mostly used, during the heating season fly ash is accumulated on solar modules reducing their performances. This paper presents results of the outdoor experimental investigation of the impact of accumulated fly ash during the heating season on solar modules surface set at an angle of 0° (horizontal), and at an optimal angle of 32° for the area of ​​Niš on their power. The experiment was carried out for a period of 168 days. The maximum power reduction (greatest reduction of solar modules power due to fly ash soiling) both for the horizontal and optimally installed module due to the fly ash accumulation was measured on the 45th day of the measurement. The maximum power reduction of the horizontal module was 87.2%, and of the optimally set module 30.6%. The morphology of the fuel oil fly ash was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The fly ash particles were generally spherical in shape, of a porous structure and the largest number of particles had diameters of 20 μm to 50 μm.

Impact of angular irradiance distributions on coupling gains and energy yield of cell interconnection designs in silicon solar modules in tracking and fixed systems

Cell interconnector designs such as light redirecting films (LRFs) and various geometric ribbon layouts are all aimed at improving the performance of crystalline silicon solar modules. However, due to the usually specular reflecting surface, the angular-dependent module performance, which is typically quantified with an incidence angle modifier, depends on the rotation of the module. We find that typical power measurements under standard test conditions at 1000 W m−2 and 25 °C cell temperature are not suited to identify the best performing design in real-world conditions. In this work, we therefore determine the optimum ribbon geometry based on its simulated energy yield in common installation configurations for solar modules based on industry-standard full and half-cut solar cells. We compare the effects of planar, triangular, LRFs, pentagonal and wire ribbon geometries, as well as fixed optimal inclination, building-integrated (façade), and single-axis tracking installation scenarios of modules in portrait and landscape orientation. Energy yield gains of 1.8% can be achieved for full cell modules with LRFs or pentagonal ribbons in single-axis tracking installation compared to a reference module with five planar ribbons. Critically, we find that changing the module orientation to landscape reduces this energy yield gain by nearly 50% for the modules with LRFs. This directional dependence is significantly reduced with the pentagonal ribbon structure. The installation scenario can have a similarly dramatic impact. The expectation of power gains for certain designs inferred from standard test conditions may not only show significantly lower gains in annual energy yield, but may even lead to yield losses, especially for building-integrated photovoltaic systems. For a typical full-cell module, for example, we have found that LRFs perform 2.5% better than standard planar ribbons under standard test conditions but can result in a 0.2% lower annual yield in a façade installation. Therefore, to fully evaluate the effectiveness of a specific ribbon design, the annual energy yield must consider the angular irradiance distribution and weather conditions at a specific location, the installation scenario, and the module orientation.

Evaluation of the Quality of Solder Joints within Silicon Solar Modules Using Magnetic Field Imaging

Solar cells and modules are already a mature technology in mass production. It is critical to optimize and to systematically monitor their performance. The introduction of automated soldering processes and the increasing usage of novel contacting schemes can cause harmful defects, e.g., missing and defective contacts, and, thus, affect the electrical performance of solar modules after production or in field usages. Herein, magnetic field imaging (MFI) is utilized to do a non‐destructive, quantitative analysis of the modules to investigate the quality of the soldering contacts. In detail, the cross connector, interconnector, and rear‐side pads are investigated. The typical in‐field observed defects are presented. For the first time, the quality of rear‐side pads under operation is studied in detail. It is shown that 1) directly after production, the current conduction takes place not only via the rear pads but also via the press‐on contact between the bare aluminum and the rear‐side ribbons; 2) an off‐centered ribbon on the pad leads to abnormal current distribution; and 3) single rear‐side pad breaks as a function of thermal cycles due to thermo‐mechanical stress.