Polycrystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Module Research Articles

A comparative study of mechanical crushing and pyrolysis techniques for separation and recovery of discarded polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic modules

With the rapid growth of the photovoltaic (PV) industry, efficient recovery and utilization of discarded polycrystalline silicon PV modules have attracted increasing attention. This study compares the application of mechanical crushing and pyrolysis techniques in the recovery of PV modules. The results indicate that while mechanical crushing can preliminarily disintegrate materials, its effectiveness in separating valuable materials such as silver and aluminum is limited, particularly for particles larger than 1 mm. In contrast, pyrolysis techniques demonstrate outstanding performance in removing organic matter and separating silicon wafers and glass, notably enhancing the recovery rate of large glass particles. However, the brittleness of silicon wafers presents a challenge during pyrolysis. Furthermore, the pyrolysis mechanisms of ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) film and backsheet materials are thoroughly discussed. The pyrolysis process of EVA film involves two stages: firstly, the preferential decomposition of acetyl oxygens on ester side chains, followed by further pyrolysis decomposition of the main chain and side chains to generate alkanes. Pyrolysis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) begins with the generation of methyl and benzoyl radicals, while polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) pyrolysis initiates with the detachment of head-group units, followed by sequential detachment of chain units. Given the advantages of pyrolysis techniques, this study recommends them as the preferred method for PV module recovery.

Experimental and numerical modeling of photovoltaic modules temperature under varying ambient conditions

In this work, comprehensive three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulation, of fluid flow and heat transfer phenomena around a free-standing polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic module is carried out. The objective is to provide accurate calculation of module’s temperature as a key parameter to estimate its power output. Therefore, experiments were conducted at the university of El Oued, south-east Algeria, to collect the necessary dataset for simulations. Considering different heat transfer mechanisms, modeling absorbed solar energy within the cells, and after mesh refinement study and model validation, simulations were performed and different parameters have been investigated. Results show that more accurate module temperature (Tback) estimation can be achieved based on numerical simulations. It was also found that numerical simulation overcome other models from literature and provides better results, achieving an R2 of 0.995 and a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.822. Results also indicate that, solar radiation (G), ambient temperature (Ta) and wind speed (Ws) tend to have the major impact on Tback, an increase of 100W/m2 in G can produce an increase of 4°C in Tback at low wind speeds, and about 2.4°C for relatively higher Ws. Ta also tends to yield linear increase in Tback, expecting 5.8°C rise, for 6°C increase in Ta at 700W/m2 and 1m/s of solar radiation and wind speed, respectively. Additionally, a regression-based model was proposed for engineering applications, providing accurate results with an R2 of 0.989, a MAE of 1.009, which is 10% more accurate than the best model from literature.

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.

OPTIMIZING HYDROGEN PRODUCTION FROM THE PHOTOVOLTAIC-POWERED ALKALINE WATER ELECTROLYZER

Energy transition has arisen its attention towards hydrogen technology. Green hydrogen can be produced from renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic (PV) through water electrolysis. However, its efficiency needs to be improved due to the intermittent nature of the remote microgrids. This study focuses on the design of SEPIC DC/DC converter and alkaline water electrolytic cells configuration on a 175 Wp polycrystalline silicon PV module. A homemade alkaline water electrolyzer of 3 M KOH was used and modeled numerically on Simulink MATLAB software. The converter and electrolytic cells configuration were designed for 1000, 800, 600 and 400 W/m2 solar irradiances. The results indicate that the required inductor decreased from 2.2 mH to 1.1 mH while the required capacitor increased from 10 mF to 27 mF as the solar irradiance increased. In a dynamic condition, the converter efficiency reached a maximum of 94.35%. Further, hydrogen production achieves 4.81 to 5.93 kg-H2/year as the installed electrolytic cell’s capacity increased from 70.2 to 174.9 W. The Levelized Cost of Hydrogen under unlimited photovoltaic power capacity is 13.08 USD/ kg-H­2

Application of Infrared Thermography for Cell-Level Power Estimation of PID-s Impacted Crystalline Silicon PV Module

The potential-induced degradation shunting (PID-s) is a severe degradation mechanism that shows a significant drop in a module power in a very short duration. Hence, timely qualitative and quantitative evaluation of PID-s is required for taking preventive measures. Current–voltage ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">I–V)</i> characterization and electroluminescence (EL) imaging are widely used to assess the PID-s; however, the use of <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">I–V</i> is cumbersome in the field, whereas EL cannot quantify severely affected PID-s modules since heavily shunted cells do not have active EL emission. In this article, a quantitative application of inverse infrared (IR <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">INV</sub> ) imaging with biasing (performed under conditions similar to EL) is proposed for the assessment of mild to severe forms of PID-s. The relationship between cell power loss and heat dissipation with PID-s progression is studied. It was observed that PID-s follows a characteristic temperature pattern in which cell temperature is proportional to the severity of PID-s. Hence, temperature is used as a determinant of PID-s. Based on this analysis, the generalized model is developed to estimate the cell-level power loss caused by PID-s using the cell temperatures obtained from IR <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">INV</sub> images. The proposed model is experimentally tested on 20 mono- and polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic modules containing mild to severe states of PID-s. Results have shown that the proposed model enables the estimation of PID-s power loss within a module with a maximum relative error of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ \pm $</tex-math></inline-formula> 5%.

Effect of Control Temperature on The Performance of PV Modules Using Active Water-Spray Cooler

As a result of the greenhouse effect and climate change, renewable energy is gradually replacing traditional electricity sources today. Photovoltaic (PV) technology, in particular, is gaining popularity worldwide, but low efficiency is a challenge that must be overcome. This paper describes an experimental method for determining the effect of control temperature on the performance of PV modules equipped with an active water-spray cooler. The study chose two polycrystalline silicon PV modules with identical specifications, and the experimental evaluation results show that the capacity difference is less than 1%. Through experimental results, this study has shown that on sunny days the daily energy output of PV modules using an active water-spray cooler improves over reference PV modules by 3% to 5%. With increasing temperature control, the performance improvement becomes less. When the control temperature is lower, the working time of the pump motor during the day increases, increasing its power consumption and affecting the proposed system’s performance improvement. In addition, with the control temperature at 45°C, the performance improvement was highest in the experimental results. The findings of the study can be used to build future experimental models.

Augmenting the performance of photovoltaic panel by decreasing its temperature using various cooling techniques

The photovoltaic (PV) systems suffer efficiency drop and performance retrogression as their operating temperature increases. This research investigates the routine of polycrystalline silicon PV modules using dissimilar cooling techniques and compares the routine of the PV modules with and without cooling. The available studied PV module output maximum power decreases by up to 0.42% for every one-degree increase in temperature. To investigate the cooling techniques, the experiments were done in July 2021 at the Faculty of Engineering, Ismailia, Egypt (30°35′N 32°16′E). The used cooling methods were; forced air cooling onto the PV module front surface by a direct current fan (case 1); back surface cooling by circulating a coolant in a heat exchanger copper serpentine fixed at the PV module back surface, water (case 2), and copper oxide nanofluid (0.2% mass fraction) (case 3) was used as different coolants in the serpentine; front surface cooling using water as a coolant that flows from small nozzles equally distributed along with the pipe fixes at the PV module frame (case 4). After comparing the recorded results of the four cooling techniques with a conventional system, cooling efficiency, the front PV module surface water cooling technique produced the best results. This technique is easy to be designed, manufactured, and installed. Also, it saves the cost of cleanliness of the surface of the PV module from dirt and dust. These cooling techniques increase the conventional PV system voltage output by 2.7%, 2.43%, 0.9%, and 7.43% and decrease in average temperature by 13.46%, 8.64%, 7.27%, and 29.37%, with an increase in PV energy conversion efficiency by 2.94%, 2.46%, 2.2% and 6.84% via using air cooling, water back cooling, nanofluid back cooling and waterfront cooling respectively.

An approach toward higher electrical conversion efficiency of solar photovoltaic module using phase change materials

AbstractA well‐known fact is that the electrical performance of the solar photovoltaic (PV) module reduces with an increase of its operating surface temperature, hence to obtain better electrical performance from PV module; it becomes necessary to maintain its surface temperature within the recommended limit. The present experimentation is focused on the application of phase change materials (PCM) to improve the electrical conversion efficiency of the PV module. The performance analysis of the polycrystalline silicon PV module integrated with the finned heat sink embedded in the PCM bath has been carried out, particularly for Indian climatic conditions (21°N, 79°E). Four different organic PCM‐filled PV modules (PV‐PCM) have been selected for performance comparison with conventional PV modules toward their electrical conversion efficiency. All the PV modules are tested with different tilt angles to obtain the lowest operating temperature afterwards the PV‐PCM module with the lowest temperature at particular tilt angle was compared with conventional PV module for output power. Among all investigated PV modules, calcium chloride hexahydrate‐filled PV system exhibits the highest electrical performance at an angle of 90° with the horizontal. The relative and improved average electrical efficiency of 7.5% was recorded with the novel designed PV‐PCM system.

Accurate thermal prediction model for building-integrated photovoltaics systems using guided artificial intelligence algorithms

Progress in development of building-integrated photovoltaic systems is still hindered by the complexity of the physics and materials properties of the photovoltaic (PV) modules and its effect on the thermal behavior of the building. This affects not only the energy generation, as its active function and linked to economic feasibility, but also the thermal insulation of the building as part of the structure’s skin. Traditional modeling methods currently presents limitations, including the fact that they do not account for material thermal inertia and that the proposed semi-empirical coefficients do not define all types of technologies, mounting configuration, or climatic conditions. This article presents an artificial intelligence-based approach for predicting the temperature of a poly-crystalline silicon PV module based on local outdoor weather conditions (ambient temperature, solar irradiation, relative outdoor humidity and wind speed) and indoor comfort parameters (indoor temperature and indoor relative humidity) as inputs. A combination of two algorithms (Grammatical Evolution and Differential Evolution) guides to the creation of a customized expression based on the Sandia model. Different data-sets for a fully integrated PV system were tested to demonstrate its performance on three different types of days: sunny, cloudy and diffuse, showing relative errors of less than 4% in all cases and including night time. In comparison to Sandia model, this method reduces the error by up to 11% in conditions of variability of sky over short time intervals (cloudy days).

Performance characterization of polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic modules installed in Kumasi, Ghana

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; The focus of this study is on the assessment of the performance of 14 polycrystalline silicon PV modules installed in Kumasi, Ghana after 22 years of field exposure. Visual inspection was carried out to ascertain any observable defects. Current-Voltage performance data was taken using a non-invasive characterization technique able to predict performance at standard test conditions (using TRI-KA and TRI-SEN) followed by Infrared (IR) Imaging tests. The results of the I-V tests showed average Pmax degradation rate of 1.38%/yr for all 14 modules. This is higher than the acceptable limit of (0.7–1.0%/year). In terms of the individual modules, M1 recorded the worst Pmax rate of degradation of 1.74%/yr, and the lowest values for efficiency and fill factor. This is consistent with the IR images and temperature difference that were recorded in the IR tests. A higher temperature difference of 25°C was recorded indicating the presence of a hot spot and a defective cell which was confirmed by the hue white colour observed in the IR test. Power Performance Factor (PPF) range of 61.8–76.5% was recorded which is below the limit of 80% often quoted in warranty statements. The drops in PPF indicate that the modules have degraded.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

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

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; 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.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Thermal modeling and experimental validation of semitransparent photovoltaic- thermal hybrid collector using CuO nanofluid

In this research article, thermal modeling is developed for a semitransparent photovoltaic-thermal hybrid collector and the results were experimentally validated under the climatic conditions of Coimbatore, India. The semitransparent photovoltaic-thermal hybrid collector system comprises a semitransparent polycrystalline silicon Photovoltaic module with serpentine tube arrangement with water and nanofluid for absorbing thermal energy from the photovoltaic module. Copper oxide with a volume fraction of 0.2% is used as nanofluid and deionized water as the base fluid. The mass flow rate of nanofluid was optimized to 0.016 kg/s. The heat energy from the PV module is dissipated to the Phase Change Materials through the working fluid. Paraffin wax with steatite composite is used as the Phase Change Material. Thermal modeling of SPV-THC is developed by applying the energy balance equations and validated by experimental analysis. The experimental result shows that the average reduction in PV module temperatures of SPV-THC using water and CuO nanofluid was 9 °C and 12 °C respectively. The electrical efficiency of SPV-THC using CuO nanofluid and water improved by 11.2% and 5.9% respectively than the conventional opaque photovoltaic modules. The thermal efficiency of SPV-THC using CuO nanofluid improved by 43% compared to SPV-THC using water. Further, the overall exergy efficiency of SPV-THC using CuO nanofluid and water increased by 26% and 12.25% respectively compared to the conventional PV system.

Sensitivity analysis of loss resistances variations of PV generators applied to the assessment of maximum power point changes due to degradation

During their lifespan, due to small but persistent changes in their physical-chemical properties, photovoltaic (PV) generators undergo processes that degrade their electrical properties and reduce the power they can deliver. This power loss has technical and economic consequences, so it is of great interest to know their causes and develop procedures to assess its impact.This work proposes an assessment of the probable displacement of the maximum power point of mono and polycrystalline silicon PV modules and generators, before degradation and aging processes start. For this purpose, it is considered that the changes that these processes cause in the generators I–V characteristic are the result of variations of their loss resistances. To achieve this, a sensitivity analysis is carried out to study how the variations in the loss resistances affect the maximum power voltage and current.From the results of this analysis and based on the coefficients of sensitivity, a procedure using a simple linear approximation, which assesses the values towards which the maximum power voltage and current of PV generators will evolve, is proposed. The obtained results show differences lower than 1% concerning the actual displacements, even for the worst case, despite the apparent simplicity of the proposed procedure.

An Improved Mathematical Model Derivation Based on Circuitry Approach for Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Module

This paper revises the five-parameter model, an approach that contributes the fundamental knowledge on performing accurate mathematical modelling for most of the commercially-available photovoltaic cells. However, such model can be further improved in order to increase the modelling accuracy while reducing the required modelling parameters at the same time. Improvement is made through formula derivation for photo-generated current and diode saturation current, while the remaining parameters (series resistance, shunt resistance, and diode ideality factor) remained un-managed for the parameterisation procedure. The derivations presented in this paper are direct, yet such procedures are frequently overlooked by others. The comparison between conventional and proposed modelling methods is presented. The methodology of this work is presented through MATLAB script demonstrated on the measured field data for 70W mono and poly-crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules. The performed methodology justifies that formula derivation can be applied for photo-generated and diode saturation current parameters that originated from five-parameter model. Such approach simplifies the works of parameterising the theoretical model matches with the experimental I-V curve. Generally, the work of this paper contributes to the mathematical modelling of photovoltaic module, simulation of experimental I-V curve result, and interactive education tool.

An Investigation of the Recovery of Silicon Photovoltaic Cells by Application of an Organic Solvent Method

The treatment of photovoltaic (PV) waste is gaining traction the world over, with the recovery of valuable materials from end-of-life, or damaged and out-of-spec polycrystalline silicon PV modules. These materials are a focus of recycling. However, the current recycling practices usually involve excessive damage to PV cells that could otherwise be reused if recovered undamaged. The ability to recover undamaged PV cells, capable of reuse, would serve to further reduce the carbon footprint and cost associated with PV module manufacturing. This study focuses on the recovery of silicon PV cells from end-of-life PV modules by application of an organic solvent method. Herein, recovery tests were carried out in which silicon PV cells were recovered with minimal damage with the application of hexane as solvent. X-ray diffraction and UV–vis spectrophotometry measurements were conducted post recovery of the PV cells. The results from this study shows that the recovery of PV cells from application of hexane as the solvent could be an eco-friendly and benign approach to purse towards a strategic pathway for extending the life of recycled PV modules.

Effect of dust on the solar spectrum and electricity generation of a photovoltaic module

The accumulation of dust on any given photovoltaic (PV) module surface depends on the type of dust, environment, surroundings, weather, module properties, and its installation design. In this research, equations were developed for the preliminary evaluation and comparison of the reduction in power from PV modules because of dust soiling. Use of these equations shows that dust accumulation decreases solar irradiance and thus the power output of modules, and that there is a linear relationship between the power output degradation and density or amount of accumulated dust. The equations can be used to conduct analysis of average photon energy and the PV module power output reduction from accumulated dust. The study also showed that type of PV module can also affect the degree of power output reduction. The amorphous silicon PV modules are more affected compared to poly crystalline silicon PV modules as the latter has a spectrum response which still has the range that can produce full energy and therefore, dust soiling has lesser impact on them. PV power plants should regularly clean the modules, if not, production of electricity decreases, and so too the revenue from selling electricity, making the payback of the power plant longer.

Confecção e Análise de um Piranômetro Fotovoltaico de Baixo Custo

The present research aimed the development and the evaluation of a low cost photovoltaic pyranometer, built from easily found materials in the national market. Therefore, models of small polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic modules were evaluated. A pyranometer body prototype with was developed with machined engineering plastic. Also, the behavior of diffusers built with three different materials Thecnyl®, acrylic and polyvinyl chloride were analyzed. For the chosen one, two distinct thicknesses were tested, as well as polished and matte surface finishing. All the tests were performed in the field, in the Federal University Rural of Semiarid weather station, from Mossoro-RN, between 2017 august and 2018 march. The prototypes results were compared to a secondary class reference pyranometer. The experiments data were collected by an automatic datalogger and its handling was accomplished considering the regulation ISO 9847:1992 recommendations. The prototype final model has shown a satisfactory performance considering measurements in the hourly and daily scales. In the total hourly values measurements, considering the interval of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., the absolute percentage relative error was 2,26%, the minimum was 0,433% and the maximum was 8,10%. In the total daily values, the absolute percentage relative error was 0,50%, the minimum was 0,16% and the maximum was 0,93%.

Performance enhancement of photovoltaic module by integrating eutectic inorganic phase change material

ABSTRACT Solar Photovoltaic (PV) technology is an upcoming technology for harnessing solar power. The performances of the PV modules are affected by incident solar radiation and mainly due to the rise in surface temperature in the hot environmental conditions. To manage the PV module temperature, passive cooling technology is adopted in this work. The integration of phase change materials (PCMs) as a thermal regulating medium into the PV module’s rear surface is intended. Two inorganic hydrated salts, Sodium Carbonate Decahydrate (SCD) -Na2CO3.10H2O and Magnesium Sulfate Heptahydrate (MSH) – MgSO4.7H2O are used to form the binary eutectic PCM. The binary eutectic PCM was integrated on the backside of the 25 W polycrystalline silicon PV module and tested for temperature regulation under the outdoor conditions of Kovilpatti (9°10′0′′N, 77°52′0′′E), Tamil Nadu, south India. The thermophysical properties of the eutectic PCM, including the latent heat of fusion and, temperature of phase change were estimated using Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC). The melting and freezing point of the 70:30 SCD-MSH eutectic mixture was 35.6 °C and 31.1 °C, respectively, with a latent heat value of 230.5 J/g. The PV-PCM system showed an instantaneous temperature reduction up to 7°C with an increase of 1.21% in the daily average efficiency. An increase in the daily DC power output by 12.5% than the reference PV module is observed in the PV-PCM system.

Electroluminescence image analysis of a photovoltaic module under accelerated lifecycle testing.

Electroluminescence (EL) imaging of Si-based photovoltaic (PV) modules is used widely to spatially detect and characterize electrical defects, including handling and degradation-induced cracking of the component Si cells that are associated with reductions in module performance. In the present study, a commercial polycrystalline silicon PV module was subjected to accelerated lifecycle test environmental conditions and examined as a function of environmental exposure time using EL imaging. The approach followed pixel intensity distributions over each individual PV cell and confirmed a positive correlation between module conversion efficiency and results of the image analysis. Overall, an average of a 2.5% reduction in normalized EL intensity was correlated to a 0.35% reduction in actual power conversion efficiency (or a 2.3% decrease in relative efficiency). The imaging analysis technique offers a rapid, unsupervised means to assess EL data in lieu of conventional visual interpretation.

An Experimental Analysis of the Electrical Parameter Variation of a Photovoltaic Module

Photovoltaic (PV) energy has been asserting itself in recent years as a true alternative for the electricity production in the future. It is well known that the accuracy of PV parameters is crucial to achieving optimal control of PV systems under any operating conditions. Although many attempts have been made to study the operating ranges of PV parameters, this remains a current research topic given the diversity of PV technologies. In this paper, the PV parameters variation with irradiance and temperature levels is experimentally analysed for a polycrystalline (poly-Si) silicon PV module. The experiment considers experimental data from 130 I-V characteristic curves measured over a typical day, considering several irradiance and temperature levels in the range 29–1023 W/m2 and 19–68 °C, respectively. The results show that PV parameters vary considerably with irradiance and temperature levels for poly-Si technology.&#x0D; Keywords: Photovoltaic module, Photovoltaic parameters, Singe-diode model, Irradiance and temperature influence