Outdoor monitoring of the energy yield and electrical parameters of standard polysilicon based and new umg-Si PV modules

Sánchez, Esteban; Maestre, J. M.; Carballo, T.; Parra, Vicente; Bullón, Javier; Mı́guez, José Manuel; Gutiérrez, J.; Garcia, J. Lopez; Guerrero, Ismael; Ordás, Ramón; Izard, J.

doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2011.06.173

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Based on a comparison between the observed and estimated performance, they concluded that the yield obtained over the first year was 30% less than the expected one and with an initial degradation of around 10% and an annual degradation rate of 1.6%/year. But these findings differ considerably from those obtained on other UMG-Si modules, which showed very similar initial degradation and performance to that of standard polysiliconbased modules [21], [24]. In fact, Odden et al [25], in a study made on a number of low-power plants in Asia and Oceania, indicated that the energy performance of the UMG silicon modules analyzed even appeared to be higher than that of conventional silicon modules during those period of the year with higher irradiance levels.…”

Section: Introductioncontrasting

confidence: 87%

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In-Field Energy Performance of Solar PV Module Made of UMG Silicon

Guerra

Parra

García

et al. 2022

IEEE J. Photovoltaics

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Upgraded Metallurgical Grade Silicon (UMG-Si) PV modules have failed to make their space in the PV market, which was partly to the uncertainty on their in-field performance that brings the wide disparity of results published over the years. The most-recently developed UMG-Si PV modules have demonstrated similar initial degradation and efficiencies under Standard Test Conditions (STC) to those obtained with conventional Solar Grade Silicon (SoG-Si). Nevertheless, their performance under operating conditions other than STC and its impact on the energy production are key aspects that has not yet been properly characterized in the literature. This paper analyses the in-field performance of a PV generator comprised of recently developed UMG-Si modules. This performance was compared to that of another PV generator comprising standard polysilicon modules. The cells and modules of both types of generators were made by the same manufacturer, in the same period and on the same production lines, which guarantees that performance differences encountered are exclusively due to the silicon employed. Contrary to the previous experience, this paper reveals that UMG-Si modules do not necessarily present a better temperature performance than today's conventional modules. The analyzed UMG-Si modules presented 1.6% less efficiency under low irradiance conditions, but this different irradiance performance led to an insignificant difference (less than 0.5%) in their energy production. No significant degradation was measured in both UMG-Si and SoG-Si modules during the two-year analyzed period, being the final energy performance of both types of modules essentially the same. These results can be considered as highly representative of the current state-of-the-art of UMG Silicon technology.

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Section: Introductioncontrasting

confidence: 87%

“…The better performance of UMG silicon modules with temperature has been reported in most of the available publications [24]- [28]. However, contradictory results has been found on their performance as a function of the incident irradiance level.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

In-Field Energy Performance of Solar PV Module Made of UMG Silicon

Guerra

Parra

García

et al. 2022

IEEE J. Photovoltaics

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“…Here, we will report on some controlled tests carried out over large time periods. A demonstration photovoltaic system with UMG-Si modules was installed in Ávila, Spain (Sánchez et al, 2011). The modules were mounted on a fixed structure with an inclination of 45 °and south orientation.…”

Section: In-field Operation Of Umg Pv Modulesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Production of upgraded metallurgical-grade silicon for a low-cost, high-efficiency, and reliable PV technology

Míguez Novoa,

Hoffmann,

Forniés

et al. 2024

Front. Photon.

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Upgraded metallurgical-grade silicon (UMG-Si) has the potential to reduce the cost of photovoltaic (PV) technology and improve its environmental profile. In this contribution, we summarize the extensive work made in the research and development of UMG technology for PV, which has led to the demonstration of UMG-Si as a competitive alternative to polysilicon for the production of high-efficiency multicrystalline solar cells and modules. The tailoring of the processing steps along the complete Ferrosolar’s UMG-Si manufacturing value chain is addressed, commencing with the purification stage that results in a moderately compensated material due to the presence of phosphorous and boron. Gallium is added as a dopant at the crystallization stage to obtain a uniform resistivity profile of ∼1 Ω cm along the ingot height. Defect engineering techniques based on phosphorus diffusion gettering are optimized to improve the bulk electronic quality of UMG-Si wafers. Black silicon texturing, compatible with subsequent gettering and surface passivation, is successfully implemented. Industrial-type aluminum back surface field (Al-BSF) and passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) solar cells are fabricated, achieving cell efficiencies in the range of those obtained with conventional polysilicon substrates. TOPCon solar cell processing key steps are also tested to further evaluate the potential of the material in advanced device architectures beyond the PERC. Degradation mechanisms related to light exposure and operation temperature are shown to be insignificant in UMG PERC solar cells when a regeneration step is implemented, and PV modules with several years of outdoor operation demonstrated similar performance to reference ones based on poly-Si. Life cycle analysis (LCA) is carried out to evaluate the environmental impact of UMG-based PV technology when compared to poly-Si-based technology, considering different scenarios for both the manufacturing sites and the PV installations.

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