SPV Module Research Articles

Performance evaluation of solar panels under different dust accumulation conditions using thermography: focusing on PV temperature variation

Degradation performance of photovoltaic modules (SPV) by real conditions has become increasingly problematic. In dusty areas, dust accumulation is one of the main concerns that may cause a significant determination of SPV efficiency. In the current study, the effect of four dust-accumulated densities of 6, 12, 18, and 24 g/m2 have been investigated in outdoor conditions in Cairo, Egypt. The performance evaluation of SPV modules in the form of front and backside temperatures of the SPV module has been evaluated in addition to current, voltage, power, and efficiency of the SPV modules. The results showed that, as compared with a clean SPV module, with increasing dust density from 6 to 24 g/m2 the frontside temperature of SPV modules were lower by 6–8 ℃. While their backside temperatures were found to be higher by 2–6 ℃. In addition, the difference between the backside and frontside temperatures of the SPV module ranged from 5 to 14 ℃ for dust modules as compared with 3 ℃ for the clean SPV module. The output power and efficiency of dusty SPV modules were found to be lower by 6–45% and 13–38%, respectively as compared with clean SPV module. The results clearly showed the importance of properly maintaining and servicing the SPV modules to avoid their degradation by dust accumulated.

Simulation of solar irradiation assessment for power generation

Solar Energy forms the perennial source to all living processes existing on Earth, directly or indirectly owing to its widespread usage to support the primary energy producers of the eco-system. The solar energy has been an important driver to all activities, supporting the civilizations as it has been used in different applications ranging from, drying of hide to sophisticated application of powering a satellite. The world today has found relief, through use of eco-friendly sources, of which solar energy has been primary form. The study has identified typical solar system design for household application through computational tool. The solar power module performance and variation in incident solar intensity on both horizontal and inclined surfaces are compared with load variation. The energy gain by integrating equations for Hubballi city was evolved, along with its comparison with locations like Delhi and Hamburg (Germany). It was observed that existing fixed SPV device was inadequate to meet the anticipated energy demand. The four different types of solar tracking modes were investigated using Empirical equations on MATLAB computational tool as a measure to enhance energy gain at the location. It was observed that operating in sun-tracking mode, SPV module programmed on basis of the objective function to minimize incidence angle, yielded higher solar energy throughout the year.

Performance of Rooftop Grid Connected Solar Photovoltaic System

Solar Technology is fast becoming a preferred trend in the field of electric power. This is because of the fact that solar energy, freely available is transferred into electric power without causing any environment hazard. Commercial power system is grid organized system. Therefore, the solar system also needs cooperative to established grid system. Grid connected solar photovoltaic system is a friendly and affordable system for large solar power generation. These systems exhibit good power efficiency beside of their other advantages. Here we pursue our studies on 150 KW grid connected SPV system. In this paper we design and model a 150 KW SPV system and compared its performance with the real time data collected by us through our experimental setup. The experimental setup is based on the module provided by RenewSys DESERV 3M6 with 72 cells on SPV module. This module is a polycrystalline silicon module and was manufactured in the year 2018 and purchased in the same year. In this study important effects that the performance degradation is also considered and the overall results obtained are found satisfactory.

Solar photovoltaic module performance characterisation using single diode modeling

Single or double diode electrical modeling of SPV module gives valuable results which will help to identify the exact behavior of SPV module under the normal operating condition. Accurate modelling of SPV module will also help to calculate internal resistances (Rs, Rsh) and parasitic of the SPV module. The main contribution of this work is the stepwise simplification of the current equation of single and double diode electrical model of SPV module. Then the single diode model of SPV module having 36 SPV cells in series is simulated in LTspice simulator. Simulated results are compared with labelled electrical parameters which shows close proximity to the labelled parameter at particular values of series and shunt resistance. This paper also presents the effect of variation in series resistance (Rs) and shunt resistance (Rsh) on the performance of the SPV module under normal operating condition. The dependency of SPV electrical parameters (Imax, Vmax, Pmax, FF, η) with the variation of series resistance (Rs) and shunt resistance (Rsh) is simulated, and the effects are discussed in details.

Performance and cost analysis of a modified built-in-passive condenser and semitransparent photovoltaic module integrated passive solar distillation system

Abstract In present paper, the performance of single slope solar still integrated with SPV module and passive condenser has been studied for the hot climatic conditions of New Delhi, India. The analysis has been carried out by developing a thermal model of the system. The effect of packing factor (βc = 0, 0.25, 0.45, 0.65 and 0.85) of the solar cell of different PV technologies (c-Si, p-Si, a-Si, CIGS, CdTe etc.) has been investigated. The overall energy efficiency of the system is analytically found to be maximum- 57.5%, 55.2%, 53.4%, 53.1%, and 41.4% for βc = 0.85, 0.65,0.45,0.25 and 0 respectively for c-Si SPV module. Moreover, the productivity of the system is calculated and found to be 1.78 kg, 2.83 kg, 3.66 kg, 4.12 kg and 4.92 kg per day for βc = 0.85, 0.65, 0.45, 0.25 and 0 respectively for c-Si SPV module. It is self-sustained system and economical in rural sector; and the electrical, thermal and overall energy efficiency of the system can be controlled or limited by changing the packing factors of the SPV module according to our requirement. It not only fulfills the electricity requirement (maximum value of thermal and electrical energy gain is 3.98 kW h and 0.38 kW h (βc = 0.85) respectively for c-Si SPV module) but also enhance the system productivity as compared to the conventional solar distillation systems. Cost analysis have also been performed to get the cost per liter of potable water produced by the system.

Design & Development of a Solar Powered, CCT changing R-B-W LED Based Artificial Window

The concept of Artificial Window is being applied in indoor lighting design since couple of years and is easily available in market, but the main drawback of these artificial windows is their constant CCT (Correlated Colour Temperature) light output. The developed artificial window is a CCT changing system, which follows the preset pattern of daylight CCT throughout the day. It will very effective for those, who stay in a window­less room or a closed room. It is known that light not only has the visual effects but also has photo­biological effects. A dynamic light is very helpful in well being, positive mood, increased concentration, alertness consequently increased productivity. The developed system is solar powered at daytime; this window is powered by the SPV module directly without using battery. A small battery is being charged simultaneously which powers the system at night time. The window is made using two types of coloured LEDs: Red and Blue and Warm White LED. The new concept of dynamic lighting provides a very wide CCT range from 2300 K to 10800 K.

Novel optimization technique to charge E-rickshaw battery using single sensor based MPPT of SPV module

Novel optimization technique to charge E-rickshaw battery using single sensor based MPPT of SPV module

A comparative performance analysis of direct, with battery, supercapacitor, and battery-supercapacitor enabled photovoltaic water pumping systems using centrifugal pump

To operate centrifugal pump against higher discharge pressure and to achieve specific speed for delivering the water, the level of irradiance required is quite high. Therefore, by knowing the operating pressure this problem may be minimized by using energy storage devices like battery or supercapacitor operated in parallel with the SPV module. Here is the need to select a proper configuration of solar PV water pumping system (SPVWPS) using energy storage devices for the economic application. Therefore, a new approach is made towards studying different configurations of 7SPVWPS with battery and supercapacitors under varying discharge pressure and evaluate the performance parameters. Four different configurations of SPVWPS using centrifugal pump are considered, namely, directly coupled, with battery, with the supercapacitors and with a battery-supercapacitor hybrid, to determine the optimum configuration for higher system performance. The experiment have been carried out on a small scale SPVWPS with 2 m and 3 m dynamic head of the pump on sunny days at Haldia, India. The comparison of the performance for the different configurations have been reported. The study reveals that the supercapacitor based configuration give highest instantaneous efficiency. The centrifugal pump powered by SPVWPS using battery delivers a maximum of 2964 L per day for 2 m dynamic head whereas for 3 m dynamic head SPVWPS using supercapacitor delivers a maximum of 1826 L per day. An economic comparison is also done for the different topologies.

A novel solar PV MPPT scheme utilizing the difference between panel and atmospheric temperature

This paper puts forward a novel technique employing the thermocouple for tracking maximum power point (MPP) in the photovoltaic systems. This is a rapid and accurate method for tracking the MPP by means of the thermocouple installed beneath the PV panel. It is observed that the temperature of the panel is higher than the atmospheric temperature and this difference in temperature is used in the proposed maximum power point tracker (MPPT). The technique performs swift and efficient tracking as compared to conventional methods. The main lead of this method is that it tracks voltage which has a direct relationship with duty cycle of the converter instead of tracking power. This makes the analysis simpler. Also the thermocouple employed (when used on large scale) can act as an additional power source. The algorithm can be easily implemented and produces accurate results. The system can be comprehended using simple circuitry. The behavior and performance of the proposed MPPT is shown by simulation and experiment. The exploration is accomplished using the Kotak KM-0018 SPV module. The practical experimentation is performed and the results are found to be in conformity with the simulation results with minor deviations.

Levelized Electricity Cost of Five Solar Photovoltaic Plants of Different Capacities

This paper deals with the calculation of Levelized Electricity Cost (LEC) of five Solar Photovoltaic power (SPV) plants of different capacities 1MW, 5MW, 10MW, 25MW and 130MW. The calculation has been performed from the power generated data of the year 2014. The effect of different parameters like interest rate, inflation rate, deprecation time (plant life) and cumulative utilization factor (CUF), on LEC have been analyzed. A comparative study of the plants is done by varying these parameters. Operation and maintenance cost has been assumed 1% of the capital cost. It has been observed that LEC increases with increase in both inflation rate and interest rate. However, the influence of inflation rate on LEC is more. LEC decreases with increase in plant life and cumulative utilization factor. SPV plants established earlier have higher LEC compared to that of plants established later due to reduction in cost of SPV module prices over the years.

Simulation and Hardware Implementation of Grid Connected Solar Charge Controller with MPPT

A renewable energy source plays an important role in electricity generation. Various renewable energy sources like wind, solar, geothermal, ocean thermal, and biomass can be used for generation of electricity and for meeting our daily energy needs. Energy from the sun is the best option for electricity generation as it is available everywhere and is free to harness. On an average the sunshine hour in India is about 6hrs annually also the sun shine shines in India for about 9 months in a year. Electricity from the sun can be generated through the solar photovoltaic modules (SPV). The SPV comes in various power output to meet the load requirement [1]. Maximization of power from a solar photo voltaic module (SPV) is of special interest as the efficiency of the SPV module is very low. A peak power tracker and DC-DC Boost Converter is used for Extracting the maximum power from the SPV module. And simulation in PSIM software and hardware result is compare and solar panel maximum efficiencies is increase nearby 85% using dither routine algorithm method use.

A Study of Boost Converter with Solar Photovoltaic System for Maximum Energy Efficiency

Performance of a SPV system is dependent on temperature, array configuration, solar insolation, shading etc. The conversion of solar energy using SPV modules,change in insolation conditions which severely affect the efficiency and output power of the modules. Improvement in the efficiency of conversion of solar energy can be done by tracking the maximum power point of a PV module. Various types of MPPT charge controllers are available in the market. A dc-dc converter is an important component of a SPV system as it acts as an interface between the load and the SPV module. These dc-dc converters enhance the performance of the MPPT algorithms leading to an improvement in the overall efficiency of the SPV system. This paper presents the modeling and simulation of one diode equivalent circuit of solar photovoltaic module using MATLAB/SIMULINKTM along with the boost converter which gives an efficiency of 93.29%.

Optimization of Solar Photovoltaic Converters for Maximum Energy Efficiency

Performance of a SPV system is dependent on temperature, array configuration, solar insolation, shading across it etc. The conversion of solar energy using SPV modules comes with its own problems that arise from the change in insulation conditions. These changes in insulation conditions severely affect the efficiency and output power of the SPV modules. For improving the efficiency of conversion of solar energy can be done by tracking the maximum power point of a PV module. There are so many types of MPPT charge controllers for doing this important work in SPV system. A dc-dc converter is essential in SPV system as it acts as an interface between the load and the SPV module. Three different basic types of converters are explained in this paper without any non-idealities. There are other types of dc-dc converters as well, but these converters from these three basic converters. Further by using these dc-dc converters the performance of the MPPT algorithms can be done for improving the overall efficiency of the SPV system.

MATLAB Based Modelling and Performance Study of Series Connected SPVA under Partial Shaded Conditions

In a solar photovoltaic array (SPVA) spread over vast area, it is likely that shadow may fall over some of its cells due to tree leaves falling over it, birds or bird litters on the array, shade of a neighboring construction, passing clouds etc. Under partial shaded conditions the PV characteristics get more complex with multiple peaks. It is important to understand and predict them to get maximum possible power from the SPVA. This paper presents a MATLAB-based modelling and simulation scheme suitable for studying the characteristics of a series connected SPVA under partial shaded conditions. The conventional model is modified to include the effect of shading in the SPV module parameters for simulation study. The simulation of MPPT algorithm to track the global maximum is also presented. The model is practically validated using electronic load.