scholarly journals In-field monitoring of eight photovoltaic plants: degradation rate along seven years of continuous operation

ACTA IMEKO ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessio Carullo ◽  
Antonella Castellana ◽  
Alberto Vallan ◽  
Alessandro Ciocia ◽  
Filippo Spertino
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Degradation Rate ◽  
Crystalline Silicon ◽  
Electrical Characterization ◽  
Cigs Thin Film ◽  
Copper Indium ◽  
Degradation Rates ◽  
Pv Modules ◽  
Photovoltaic Plants ◽  
Silicon Based

<p class="Abstract">The results of more than seven years (October 2010-December 2017) of continuous monitoring are presented in this paper. Eight outdoor photovoltaic (PV) plants were monitored. The monitored plants use different technologies: mono-crystalline silicon (m-Si), poli-crystalline silicon (p-Si), string ribbon silicon, copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), thin film, and cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film. The thin-film and m-Si modules are used both in fixed installations and on x-y tracking systems. The results are expressed in terms of the degradation rate of the efficiency of each PV plant, which is estimated using the measurements provided by a multi-channel data acquisition system that senses both electrical and environmental quantities. A comparison with the electrical characterization of each plant obtained by means of the transient charge of a capacitive load is also made. In addition, three of the monitored plants are characterized at module level, and the estimated degradation rates are compared to the values obtained with the monitoring system. The main outcome of this work can be summarized as the higher degradation rate of thin-film based PV modules with respect to silicon-based PV modules.</p>

scholarly journals Novel Features Extraction for Fault Detection Using Thermography Characteristics and IV Measurements of CIGS Thin-Film Module

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 311-325
Author(s):  
Reham A. Eltuhamy ◽  
Mohamed Rady ◽  
Khaled H. Ibrahim ◽  
Haitham A. Mahmoud
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Fault Detection ◽  
Fault Detection And Diagnosis ◽  
Pv Module ◽  
Cigs Thin Film ◽  
Copper Indium ◽  
Pv Modules ◽  
Detection And Diagnosis ◽  
Types Of Faults ◽  
Copper Indium Gallium

Regarding the fault diagnosis of Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) PV modules, previously published articles focused on employing statistical analysis of thermography images. This approach failed in many cases to distinguish among fault types. This article presents a novel methodology to diagnose and predict faults of thin-film CIGS PV modules using infrared thermography analysis combined with measurements of I-V characteristics. The proposed methodology encompasses a comprehensive site work to capture images that cover many fault types of the PV module under study. The novelty of the technique depends on utilizing processing and analysis of the captured images using new proposed mathematical parameters to extract different faults’ features. Using I-V measurements combined with thermography analysis, the differences between different types of faults are detected. Then, a general classification matrix of CIGS fault detection and diagnosis, using features based on mathematical parameters and IV measurements has been established. Results show that the analysis of the temperature distribution is proved to be insufficient to identify specific modes of different faults. In addition, the proposed procedure for fault detection and classification, which depends on the pattern of faults, can be used for any type of PV module. This results in more reliance on the proposed technique to increase the confidence level of fault detection.

Comparative Study of Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) Solar Cell With Other Solar Technologies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabela C. B. ◽  
Ricardo Lameirinhas ◽  
Carlos A. F. Fernandes ◽  
João Paulo N. Torres
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Crystalline Silicon ◽  
Gallium Selenide ◽  
Copper Indium Gallium Selenide ◽  
Cigs Solar Cell ◽  
Copper Indium ◽  
Indium Gallium ◽  
Copper Indium Gallium

Thin-film modules are emerging in the photovoltaic market, due to their competitive cost with the traditional crystalline silicon modules. The thin-film cells CuIn(1-x)Ga(x)Se2 (Copper Indium Gallium Selenide - CIGS) are...

scholarly journals Moisture Absorption and Desorption in an Ionomer-Based Encapsulant: A Type of Self-Breathing Encapsulant for CIGS Thin-Film PV Modules

Engineering ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. 1403-1407
Author(s):  
Miao Yang ◽  
Raymund Schäffler ◽  
Tobias Repmann ◽  
Kay Orgassa
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Moisture Absorption ◽  
Cigs Thin Film ◽  
Pv Modules

scholarly journals Global Climate Data Processing and Mapping of Degradation Mechanisms and Degradation Rates of PV Modules

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 4749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julián Ascencio-Vásquez ◽  
Ismail Kaaya ◽  
Kristijan Brecl ◽  
Karl-Anders Weiss ◽  
Marko Topič
Keyword(s):  
Degradation Rate ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Degradation Mechanisms ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Pv Systems ◽  
Degradation Rates ◽  
Pv Modules ◽  
Long Term Performance ◽  
Term Performance

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are the cheapest source of electricity in sunny locations and nearly all European countries. However, the fast deployment of PV systems around the world is bringing uncertainty to the PV community in terms of the reliability and long-term performance of PV modules under different climatic stresses, such as irradiation, temperature changes, and humidity. Methodologies and models to estimate the annual degradation rates of PV modules have been studied in the past, yet, an evaluation of the issue at global scale has not been addressed so far. Hereby, we process the ERA5 climate re-analysis dataset to extract and model the climatic stresses necessary for the calculation of degradation rates. These stresses are then applied to evaluate three degradation mechanisms (hydrolysis-degradation, thermomechanical-degradation, and photo- degradation) and the total degradation rate of PV modules due to the combination of temperature, humidity, and ultraviolet irradiation. Further on, spatial distribution of the degradation rates worldwide is computed and discussed proving direct correlation with the Köppen-Geiger-Photovoltaic climate zones, showing that the typical value considered for the degradation rate on PV design and manufacturer warranties (i.e., 0.5%/a) can vary ± 0.3%/a in the temperate zones of Europe and rise up to 1.5%/a globally. The mapping of degradation mechanisms and total degradation rates is provided for a monocrystalline silicon PV module. Additionally, we analyze the temporal evolution of degradation rates, where a global degradation rate is introduced and its dependence on global ambient temperature demonstrated. Finally, the categorization of degradation rates is made for Europe and worldwide to facilitate the understanding of the climatic stresses.

scholarly journals Outdoor degradation of thin film amorphous silicon based PV modules

2014 ◽  
Vol 558 ◽  
pp. 012047 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Berov ◽  
P Ivanov ◽  
N Tuytuyndziev ◽  
P Vitanov
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Amorphous Silicon ◽  
Pv Modules ◽  
Silicon Based

scholarly journals Combustion Behaviors of CIGS Thin-Film Solar Modules from Cone Calorimeter Tests

Materials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lulu Yin ◽  
Yong Jiang ◽  
Rong Qiu
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Cone Calorimeter ◽  
Mass Loss Rate ◽  
Ignition Time ◽  
Ventilation Condition ◽  
Cigs Thin Film ◽  
Condition Effect ◽  
Pv Modules ◽  
Combustion Behaviors ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

As is well known, building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) technology is becoming more commonly used in residential and commercial buildings. Fire assessment of photovoltaic (PV) modules as a whole is still insufficient. This work focuses on the thermal properties and combustion behavior of CIGS (copper, indium, gallium and selenium) thin-film modules. Cone calorimeter experiments were conducted at different external heat flux of 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 kW m−2. Several parameters are discussed, including surface temperature, ignition time, heat release rate (HRR), mass loss rate, carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations. The results show that CIGS thin-film solar modules are inflammable at intermediate or high flashover risk. A correction calculation for the gas toxicity index has been used to reduce the well-ventilation condition effect. Compared with the uncorrected calculation, peak fractional effective dose (FED) and lethal concentration for 50% of the population (LC50) are almost double. This work will help to determine a more stringent fire safety provision for PV modules.

scholarly journals Sustainable End of Life Management of Crystalline Silicon and Thin Film Solar Photovoltaic Waste: The Impact of Transportation

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (16) ◽  
pp. 5465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilke Celik ◽  
Marina Lunardi ◽  
Austen Frederickson ◽  
Richard Corkish
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
United States ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Crystalline Silicon ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hotspot Analysis ◽  
Material Recovery ◽  
Pv Module ◽  
Pv Modules ◽  
The Impact

This work provides economic and environmental analyses of transportation-related impacts of different photovoltaic (PV) module technologies at their end-of-life (EoL) phase. Our results show that crystalline silicon (c-Si) modules are the most economical PV technology (United States Dollars (USD) 2.3 per 1 m2 PV module (or 0.87 ¢/W) for transporting in the United States for 1000 km). Furthermore, we found that the financial costs of truck transportation for PV modules for 2000 km are only slightly more than for 1000 km. CO2-eq emissions associated with transport are a significant share of the EoL impacts, and those for copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) PV modules are always higher than for c-Si and CdTe PV. Transportation associated CO2-eq emissions contribute 47%, 28%, and 40% of overall EoL impacts of c-Si, CdTe, and CIGS PV wastes, respectively. Overall, gasoline-fueled trucks have 65–95% more environmental impacts compared to alternative transportation options of the diesel and electric trains and ships. Finally, a hotspot analysis on the entire life cycle CO2-eq emissions of different PV technologies showed that the EoL phase-related emissions are more significant for thin-film PV modules compared to crystalline silicon PV technologies and, so, more environmentally friendly material recovery methods should be developed for thin film PV.

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