Academia.eduAcademia.edu

Outline

Title
Abstract
Introduction
Experimental Apparatus
Summary
References
All Topics
Engineering
Mechanical Engineering

Comparison of Photovoltaic Module Performance Measurements

Profile image of David KingDavid King

2006, Journal of Solar Energy Engineering

https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2192559͔
visibility

…

description

8 pages

link

1 file

Abstract

Computer simulation tools used to predict the energy production of photovoltaic systems are needed in order to make informed economic decisions. These tools require input parameters that characterize module performance under various operational and environmental conditions. Depending upon the complexity of the simulation model, the required input parameters can vary from the limited information found on labels affixed to photovoltaic modules to an extensive set of parameters. The required input parameters are normally obtained indoors using a solar simulator or flash tester, or measured outdoors under natural sunlight. This paper compares measured performance parameters for three photovoltaic modules tested outdoors at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). Two of the three modules were custom fabricated using monocrystalline and silicon film cells. The third, a commercially available module, utilized triple-junction amorpho...

Related papers

Validation of an outdoor efficiency model for photovoltaic modules
Carlos Meza-Benavides, redin-Revista Facultad de Ingeniería Universidad de Antioquia

Revista Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Antioquia, 2022

The study of the efficiency of photovoltaic modules in outdoor conditions allows determining their correct operation and to detect abnormal behavior. Most efficiency models developed use experimental data that are difficult to obtain as they require specialized equipment and a long measurement time under laboratory conditions to identify or adjust the model parameters. In this article, we propose a linear equation that estimates the efficiency of photovoltaic modules using irradiance and back panel temperatura measurements as input variables. The main contribution is that the parameters of the proposed model can be obtained directly from the reference information (IEC61853-1 power values) without any data regression. The proposed model was validated using experimental data obtained from three different climatic zones during a whole year. The model shows the best fit to the data of four analyzed models, and its normalized root mean square deviation for all photovoltaic modules is less than 3.6%; this dispersion could be explained by the fact that the outdoor data have an uncertainty of around 3.0%

View PDFchevron_right
Step-by-step evaluation of photovoltaic module performance related to outdoor parameters: evaluation of the uncertainty
Vincent Bourdin

2017 IEEE 44th Photovoltaic Specialist Conference (PVSC), 2017

HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

View PDFchevron_right
Indoor and Outdoor Measurements of PV Module Performance of Different Manufacturing Technologies
Lazhar Lalaoui

2017

In the present paper, an experimental analysis of the PV modules efficiency of different photovoltaic comprising monocrystalline silicon, polycrystal-line silicon and thin-film silicon technologies has been made. The PV modules were first subjected to thorough indoor evaluation (Sun simulator, Electroluminescence) to check the real characteristics and internal defects that make the effectiveness of these modules lower compared to characteristics declared by the manufacturer under the terms of DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005. Results of the first analysis have been taken as a reference for the second part, which consist of ex-posing the PV modules to various natural factors in outdoor environment (solar radiation, temperature, wind, humidity…) versus time. Then, using the peak power measuring device PVPM, different electrical characteristics of the photovoltaic module during the exposure in operating site were determined. Significant differences in the energy efficiency of PV modules have ...

View PDFchevron_right
Inter laboratory comparison of indoor performance tests on crystalline silicon solar PV modules
Siyasanga May

2019

The paper presents results from an inter laboratory comparison (ILC) of crystalline silicon PV module performance measurements from three different institutions within South Africa. The analysis quantifies the differences in power, current, and voltage measurements and compares power to the stated uncertainties for the measurements. The paper also explains the basics of PV module performance measurements, the link to PV module nameplate ratings, and describes the sources of uncertainty in the measurements. The results of the 2019 ILC I-V measurements among three South African institutions show differences of +/-2.0% or less for maximum power measurements of crystalline PV modules, relative to the CSIR results. These differences are within the stated uncertainty for the measurements but greater than the +/-0.5% differences among international reference labs reported in a 2017.

View PDFchevron_right
Performance Intercomparison of 13 Different PV Modules Based on Indoor and Outdoor Tests
S. Dittmann, Davide Strepparava

At the begin of 2009 the ISAAC institute started a new measurement campaign investigating thirteen different modules commercially available on the market. Two modules of each type have been exposed outdoors for energy yield monitoring and a third module has been stored indoors as a reference. The modules covers a large range of different technologies ranging from multi-crystalline silicon (mc-Si) of which two with back-contact cells, 3 single-crystalline silicon (sc-Si), 1 hybrid mono-crystalline technology with amorphous silicon layer (HIT), 1 double junction amorphous silicon (a-Si/a-Si), 1 micromorph (a-Si/µc-Si), 1 Cupper-Indium-Sulfide (CIS) and 1 Cupper-Indium-Gallium-Diselenide (CIGS). The aim of the measurement campaign is to assess the quality of current technologies and the understanding of observed differences between technologies. Outdoor and indoor performance of the modules are analysed over 15 months performing measurements under real operating conditions, regular STC and low irradiance indoor testing with a solar simulator to determine stability of the devices over time and the relation between indoor performance and outdoor yield. The modules are therefore installed on a ventilated rack where each single module is connected to a maximum power point tracker delivering Im, Vm values in minutes intervals. The annual energy output in kWh/Wp is measured and the differences between various module technologies or modules of the same technology is analysed, by quantifying the influence of the temperature coefficient, the low irradiance performance measured indoors, the module temperature as well as all measurement related uncertainties.

View PDFchevron_right
A simplified simulation model of silicon photovoltaic modules for performance evaluation at different operating conditions
Ashutosh Ranjan

Optik, 2020

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

View PDFchevron_right
Effect of spectral irradiance distribution on the outdoor performance of photovoltaic modules
Ekkachart Hattha

2010

The outdoor performance of photovoltaic (PV) modules is affected by several environmental conditions. Spectral irradiance is one of the important factors that should be investigated. This paper presented the effect of spectral irradiance by using average photon energy (APE) to declare spectral irradiance distribution. The relation between the outdoor performance (PR) and the APE were shown. The results indicated that thin-film amorphous silicon (a-Si) PV module was significantly affected by APE. The increasing of APE enhanced the outdoor performance of the thin film a-Si PV module until the value of the APE reached 1.94 eV, while the polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) PV module was found to be less sensitive to the change in the APE since it showed a small change in the PR of 5%. The PR of the thin film a-Si PV module in winter decreased to the minimum value of 95%, consistent with the lowest APE in this season. The average APE in Thailand was found to be approximately 1.91 eV. This is informative data for selecting the PV module which is suitable for the use in Thailand, and it is also beneficial information for improving thin film a-Si in PV module fabrication. Moreover, the monthly APE obtained from this study is a useful factor for accurate estimation of output power of PV modules.

View PDFchevron_right
Indoor characterization of photovoltaic modules under various conditions
Mark Lynass

2008

Usually photovoltaic modules are characterized under standard testing conditions by subjecting them to an irradiation of 1000 W/m2 with an AM 1.5 spectrum and a cell temperature of 25°C. However, not all modules perform the same under real conditions since their efficiency is strongly affected by environmental fluctuations. To get real operation data, expensive outdoor test are performed. However, for most of the new thin film technologies, these data are not available yet. The experiments were conducted in an indoor solar simulator, which fulfills the requirements of irradiation level and solar spectrum within a homogeneous area of 2 by 2.5 meters. In this contribution we compare different PV modules, including first generation, thin films and emerging technologies, in order to understand their behavior under various conditions. The modules were tested as a function of incident angle and diffused versus direct irradiation. Another aspect that is also taken under consideration is the influence of temperature on the module performance. These measurements are necessary in order to make a correct assessment of energy yield in several geographical locations for residential, commercial and utility applications.

View PDFchevron_right
Examining the Impact of Different Technical and Environmental Parameters on the Performance of Photovoltaic Modules
Youssef ELIDRISSI

Environmental and Climate Technologies

This article presents an evaluation of the performance of PV modules with the variation of some technical and environmental parameters: The PV module tilt angle, and the impact of soiling on the power output of PV module, and the transmittance of the PV glass surfaces. The experiments were achieved in Helwan City (Egypt) at the premises of the Faculty of Engineering of Helwan University. For the soiling part, it comprises two experiments: Transmittance of PV glass surfaces, and the power output of PV modules. For the transmittance experiment, it has been achieved using a simplified method, where three PV glass surfaces were placed at three different tilt angles (0°, 15°, and 30°) and left exposed to the outdoor environment without cleaning for a period of 25 days during the summer season. For the experiment concerning the impact of soiling on the power output, a set of PV modules connected in series have been exposed for a period of 75 days to the outdoor environment without cleanin...

View PDFchevron_right
Photovoltaic device performance: An overview
Robert Daiello

Solar Cells, 1986

View PDFchevron_right

References (27)

  1. King, D. L., Boyson, W. E., and Kratochvil, J. A., 2002, "Analysis of Factors Influencing the Annual Energy Production of Photovoltaic Systems," Proceed- ings of the 29th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, New Orleans, LA, May 20-24, pp. 1356-1361.
  2. ͓2͔ Marion, B., 2002, "A Method for Modeling the Current-Voltage Curve of a PV Module for Outdoor Conditions," Prog. Photovoltaics 10, pp. 205-214.
  3. ͓3͔ Marion, B., Rummel, S., and Anderberg, A., 2004, "Current-Voltage Curve Translation by Bilinear Interpolation," Prog. Photovoltaics 12, pp. 593-607.
  4. ͓4͔ Nakajima, A., Ichikawa, M., Kondo, M., Yamamoto, K., Yamagishi, H., and Tawada, Y., 2004, "Spectral Effects of a Single-Junction Amorphous Silicon Solar Cell on Outdoor Performance," Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., Part 1 Part 1, 43͑5A͒, pp. 2425-2531.
  5. ͓5͔ Kroposki, B., Marion, W., King, D. L., Boyson, W. E., and Kratochvil, J., 2002, "Comparison of Module Performance Characterization Methods for En- ergy Production," Paper No. NREL/TP-520-29245.
  6. ͓6͔ Marion, B., Kroposki, B., Emergy, K., del Cueto, J., Myers, D., and Osterwald, C., 1999, "Validation of a Photovoltaic Module Energy Ratings Procedure at NREL," Paper No. NREL/TP-529-26909.
  7. ͓7͔ Gay, C. F., Rumberg, J. E., and Wilson, J. H., 1982, "AM-PM: All Day Mod- ule Performance Measurements," Proc. 16th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialist' Conf., San Diego, IEEE New York, pp. 1041-1046.
  8. ͓8͔ Firor, K., 1985, "Rating PV Systems," Proc. 18th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialist Conference, Las Vegas, NV, October, pp. 1443-1448.
  9. ͓9͔ Fanney, A. H., Dougherty, B. P., and Davis, M. W., 2002, "Performance and Characterization of Building Integrated Photovoltaic Panels," Proc. 29th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, ͑CD-ROM͒ New Orleans, LA, May 20- 24.
  10. Fanney, A. H., Dougherty, B. P., and Davis, M. W., 2001, "Measured Perfor- mance of Building Integrated Photovoltaic Panels," Sol. Energy, 123, pp. 187-193.
  11. ͓11͔ Dougherty, B. P., Fanney, A. H., and Davis, M. W., 2005, "Measured Perfor- mance of Building Integrated Photovoltaic Panels-Round 2," Sol. Energy, 127, pp. 314-323.
  12. King, D. L., Boyson, W. E., and Kratochvil, J. A., 2004, "Photovoltaic Array Performance Model," Sandia Report No. SAND 2004-3535.
  13. ͓13͔ Davis, M. W., Fanney, A. H., and Dougherty, B. P., 2002, "Evaluating Build- ing Integrated Photovoltaic Performance Models," Proc. 29th IEEE Photovol- taic Specialists Conference, ͑CD-ROM͒ New Orleans, LA, May 20-24.
  14. ͓14͔ PV-Design Pro, 2000, Solar Design Studio, v4.0, Maui Solar Energy Software Corp., Haiku, HI.
  15. King, D. L., Kratochvil, J. A., and Boyson, W. E., 1997, "Temperature Coef- ficients for PV Modules and Arrays: Measurement Methods, Difficulties, and Results," Proc. 26th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, Anaheim, CA, September 29-October 3, pp. 1183-1186.
  16. King, D. L., 1996, "Photovoltaic Module and Array Performance Character- ization Methods for All System Operating Conditions," Proc. NREL/SNL Pho- tovoltaics Program Review, New York, AIP Press, Lakewood, CO, November 18-22, pp. 347-368.
  17. King, D. L., Kratochvil, J. A., and Boyson, W. E., 1997, "Measuring Solar Spectral and Angle-of-Incidence Effects on Photovoltaic Modules and Solar Irradiance Sensors," Proc. 26th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, Anaheim, CA, September 29-October 3, pp. 1113-1116.
  18. ͓18͔ ASTM E 1036-02, "Standard Test Methods for Electrical Performance of Non- concentrator Terrestrial Photovoltaic Modules and Arrays Using Reference Cells," Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol. 12.02.
  19. Myers, D. R., and Emery, K., 2002, "Terrestrial Solar Spectral Modeling Tools and Applications for Photovoltaic Devices," IEEE 2002, May 20-24, pp. 1683-1686.
  20. Kasten, F., and Young, T., 1989, "Revised Optical Air Mass Tables and Ap- proximation Formula," Appl. Opt. 28͑22͒, pp. 4735-4738.
  21. ͓21͔ Duffie, J. A., and Beckman, W. A., 1991, Solar Engineering of Thermal Pro- cesses, John Wiley and Sons, New York.
  22. ͓22͔ Martin, N., and Ruiz, J. M., 2005, "Annual Angular Reflection Losses in PV Modules, Prog. Photovoltaics 13, pp. 75-84.
  23. King, D. L., Kratochvil, J. A., and Boyson, W. E., 1998, "Field Experience with a New Performance Characterization Procedure for Photovoltaic Arrays," Proc. 2nd World Conference and Exhibition on Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conversion, Vienna, Austria, July 6-10.
  24. ͓24͔ ASTM G 159-98, "Standard Tables for References Solar Spectral at Air Mass 1.5: Direct Hemispherical for a 37°Tilted Surface," Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol. 14.04.
  25. ͓25͔ ASTM E 973-02, "Determination of the Spectral Mismatch Parameter Be- tween a Photovoltaic Device and a Photovoltaic Reference Cell," Annual book of ASTM Standards, Vol. 12.02.
  26. Whitfield, K., and Osterwald, C. R., 2001, "Procedure for Determining the Uncertainty of Photovoltaic Module Outdoor Electrical Performance," Prog. Photovoltaics 9, pp. 87-102.
  27. ͓27͔ Fanney, A. H., and Dougherty, B. P., 2001, "Building Integrated Photovoltaic Test Facility," Sol. Energy 123, pp. 200-210.

Related papers

Outdoor performance modeling of three different silicon photovoltaic module technologies
Khadidja Rahmoun

International Journal of Energy and Environmental Engineering, 2017

The accuracy of a two-diode model for three different photovoltaic module technologies, namely monocrystalline, amorphous and micromorphous silicon, has been investigated in this paper. The I-V and the P-V characteristics for each type of module were simulated using the specifications given by the module's manufacturer in their datasheet at standard tests conditions. An accurate technique was used for calculating the corresponding irradiation absorbed by each module type. To validate the model, a comparison between the simulation results and the experimental data obtained for each PV module type tested in outdoor conditions for a sunny and a cloudy day has been carried out. A good agreement was found between the calculated and measured data, both for the I-V and the P-V curves and the characteristic points (I sc , V oc , I mpp , V mpp ) under simultaneous variation of temperature and irradiation.

View PDFchevron_right
Comparison of indoor and outdoor performance measurements of recent commercially available solar modules
Miglena Nikolaeva-Dimitrova

Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, 2010

The strong growth of the PV market is accompanied by an increasing number of ''new'' PV technologies and concepts now mature for commercialization. A correct calibration of these devices is in some cases very difficult, because indoor and outdoor performance measurements often lead to different results. In this paper we compare the indoor and outdoor performance measurements of a set of recent commercially available PV modules (conventional and high-efficiency c-Si, single-, double-, and triple-junction thin film (TF) technologies) and we observe that the maximum power P max of some devices measured indoors using our large area pulsed solar simulator is usually lower than the power measured outdoors under natural sunlight. The major effects which lead to these discrepancies are identified, as follows: (a) spectral mismatch errors, very significant for CdTe, and all a-Si TF technologies; (b) measurement-related sweep-time effects, which seem to strongly influence the performance of high efficiency c-Si devices and to a lesser extend of all a-Si TF technologies; and (c) short-time light-soaking effects, which influence the performance of CIS and to a lesser extent CdTe.

View PDFchevron_right
Outdoor performance analysis of a monocrystalline photovoltaic module: Irradiance and temperature effect on exergetic efficiency
Ababacar Ndiaye

Studies realized on the performance of photovoltaic modules have shown that analysis of the effect of meteorological parameters is crucial in prediction and evaluation of performances; and production of solar systems. This paper highlights the performing analysis of a monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic module. The aim of this work is to study the effect of irradiance and temperature on module performance in a real environment. The variation of the exergy efficiency as a function of the module temperature on a day is presented. The electrical exergy rate and the thermal exergy losses rate of the module were examined. The findings of this study show that the exergetic efficiency depends on the variation of the irradiance and temperature during the day. Results give an exergetic efficiency of the module varying from 14.87 to 17.93% per day for monocrystalline 30 Wp PV module. The results also show a variation of exergetic efficiency for the same irradiance and decrease in efficiency with increasing module operating temperature. This decrease is 17.5% for an increase of 10 K (irradiance = 900 /² Wm). The thermal exergy losses rate increases with the difference between the module's operating temperature and the ambient temperature. It reaches its maximum (3.36 W) for a temperature difference equal to 28.9 K.

View PDFchevron_right
Performance characterisation of photovoltaic modules
Ralph Gottschalg

2010 35th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 2010

A review of the performance characterization of photovoltaic modules is given, that charts the progress made in the European research project 'PV-Performance' as well as other work carried out in Europe. The aim is to illustrate the measurement and prediction accuracy of energy delivery. It is shown that direct inter-comparisons of PV modules may have as much as 6.5% uncertainty in the comparability between modules and that any difference much lower than this is not a meaningful conclusion. A significant contribution to this is the determination of the rated power of the modules chosen for the inter-comparison and the lack of statistical numbers. The rated power is also important in the context of modeling the performance and thus must be as accurately as somewhat possible. It is shown that the uncertainties of the calibration laboratories are not borne out by round robin inter-comparisons and further work is needed in this field. Uncertainties for wafer-based devices are shown to be in a range of ±3%, while different thin film technologies may have higher uncertainties. It is shown that even simple modeling approaches are good enough to predict PV performance to within the measurement accuracy of most datasets.

View PDFchevron_right
Performance comparison and impact of weather conditions on different photovoltaic modules in two different cities
Mohammed Khaidar

Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2022

This work is based on a comparative study of the impact of meteorological conditions as well as the assessment of the production performance of two identical photovoltaic stations installed in two Moroccan cities, the stations are based on three different technologies. The measures of one year of operation from January 2017 to December 2017 were evaluated. The annual average performance ratios were found to be 82.42%, 79.99% and 78.74% in Beni Mellal, and 85.29%, 84.61% and 70.41% in El Jadida for the polycrystalline (pc-Si), monocrystalline (mc-Si), and amorphous (a-Si) respectively. The photovoltaic efficiency was calculated at 12.24%, 11.89%, and 11.71% in Beni Mellal; and 12.59%, 12.49%, and 10.42% in El Jadida by the same order. Statistical analysis was carried out to establish the correlation with photovoltaic (PV) production showed that after irradiation, the temperature is the most influencing meteorological factor for PV production, revealing a degradation in the performanc...

View PDFchevron_right

Related topics

  • Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Computer Science
  • Interdisciplinary Engineering
    • 580 California St., Suite 400
    San Francisco, CA, 94104
    © 2025 Academia. All rights reserved