Photovoltaic-reliability R&amp;D toward a solar-powered world

Kurtz, Sarah; Granata, Jennifer E; Quintana, Michael A.

doi:10.1117/12.825649

Cited by 30 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The ability to accurately predict power delivery over the course of time is key to growth of the maturing photovoltaic (PV) industry [1]. For realistic PV lifespan estimation, the knowledge of power decline over time is essential and important to all stakeholders-utility companies, investors, and researchers alike.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For realistic PV lifespan estimation, the knowledge of power decline over time is essential and important to all stakeholders-utility companies, investors, and researchers alike. Outdoor field testing has played a vital part of determining PV field performance and lifetime for at least two reasons: (1) It is a non-trivial task to correlate indoor testing to outdoor results [2] and (2) it is the typical operating environment of PV modules [3]. A wealth of excellent information has been reported in the literature measuring degradation rates with respect to technologies, age, manufacturers, and geographic locations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Outdoor PV degradation comparison

Jordan

Smith

Osterwald

et al. 2010

2010 35th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference

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As photovoltaic (PV) penetration of the power grid increases, it becomes vital to know how decreased power output may affect cost over time. In order to predict power delivery, the decline or degradation rates must be determined accurately. At the Performance and Energy Rating Testbed (PERT) at the Outdoor Test Facility (OTF) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) more than 40 modules from more than 10 different manufacturers were compared for their long-term outdoor stability. Because it can accommodate a large variety of modules in a limited footprint the PERT system is ideally suited to compare modules side-by-side under the same conditions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outdoor PV degradation comparison

Jordan

Smith

Osterwald

et al. 2010

2010 35th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference

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show abstract

“…However, in some cases the behaviour of the plant can be slowly degrading over important periods of time without over passing any threshold and without issuing any warning of this situation. In this context there are various studies and publications trying to characterize the performance of the solar plant and the degradation of some of its functional parts using several procedures and algorithms [3], [4], [5], [6] and [7]. In many cases in order to detect anomalies either some specific expert knowledge is required to analyze the behaviour of the solar plant, or some knowledge is desired to be automatically extracted from its operation, or both.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intelligent system for a remote diagnosis of a photovoltaic solar power plant

Sanz-Bobi

Roque

Marcos

et al. 2012

J. Phys.: Conf. Ser.

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Abstract. Usually small and mid-sized photovoltaic solar power plants are located in rural areas and typically they operate unattended. Some technicians are in charge of the supervision of these plants and, if an alarm is automatically issued, they try to investigate the problem and correct it. Sometimes these anomalies are detected some hours or days after they begin. Also the analysis of the causes once the anomaly is detected can take some additional time. All these factors motivated the development of a methodology able to perform continuous and automatic monitoring of the basic parameters of a photovoltaic solar power plant in order to detect anomalies as soon as possible, to diagnose their causes, and to immediately inform the personnel in charge of the plant. The methodology proposed starts from the study of the most significant failure modes of a photovoltaic plant through a FMEA and using this information, its typical performance is characterized by the creation of its normal behaviour models. They are used to detect the presence of a failure in an incipient or current form. Once an anomaly is detected, an automatic and intelligent diagnosis process is started in order to investigate the possible causes. The paper will describe the main features of a software tool able to detect anomalies and to diagnose them in a photovoltaic solar power plant.

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“…The efficiency of multi-junction solar cells has increased considerably, reaching a 41.6 % efficiency in lattice matched GaInP/GaInAs/Ge solar cells and a 43.5 % in GaInP/GaAs/GaInNAs solar cells [2]. Nevertheless, the CPV community is aware of the fact that together with the efficiency increase, high reliability is essential in reducing the cost of solar electricity by extending system lifetime [3]. Aware of this problem, the CPV community has developed the standard (IEC-62108:2007) for qualifying CPV modules and assemblies [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary temperature accelerated life test (ALT) on III-V commercial concentrator triple-junction solar cells

Espinet‐González

Algora

Orlando

et al. 2012

2012 IEEE 38th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC) PART 2

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Abstract-A quantitative temperature accelerated life test on sixty GaInP/GaInAs/Ge triple-junction commercial concentrator solar cells is being carried out. The final objective of this experiment is to evaluate the reliability, warranty period, and failure mechanism of high concentration solar cells in a moderate period of time. The acceleration of the degradation is realized by subjecting the solar cells at temperatures markedly higher than the nominal working temperature under a concentrator, while the photo-current nominal conditions are emulated by injecting current in darkness. Three experiments at three different temperatures are necessary in order to obtain the acceleration factor which relates the time at the stress level with the time at nominal working conditions. However, up to now only the test at the highest temperature has finished. Therefore, we can not provide complete reliability information but we have analyzed the life data and the failure mode of the solar cells inside the climatic chamber at the highest temperature. The failures have been all of them catastrophic. In fact, the solar cells have turned into short circuits. We have fitted the failure distribution to a two parameters Weibull function. The failures are wear-out type. We have observed that the busbar and the surrounding fingers are completely deteriorated.

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Photovoltaic-reliability R&D toward a solar-powered world

Cited by 30 publications

References 42 publications

Outdoor PV degradation comparison

Outdoor PV degradation comparison

Intelligent system for a remote diagnosis of a photovoltaic solar power plant

Preliminary temperature accelerated life test (ALT) on III-V commercial concentrator triple-junction solar cells

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