Comparative analysis of the infield response of five types of photovoltaic modules

Ion Visa, Bogdan Burduhos, Mircea Neagoe, Macedon Moldovan and Anca Duta

Renewable Energy, 2016, vol. 95, issue C, 178-190

Abstract: Five types of photovoltaic (PV) modules were comparatively analyzed considering the electrical output, efficiency and relative loss in efficiency, based on infield data collected in a temperate mountain climate, over 14 months. The mono-, poly-crystalline silicon, CdTe, CIS and CIGS modules were mounted on two identical platforms, installed close to a row of buildings. Based on the data collected from individual or groups of modules on the two platforms, analyses focused on the photovoltaic output, considering: the mean monthly values; the influence of the neighboring buildings; the influence of the irradiance, temperature and wind in different seasons (winter, summer); the influence of tracking on each PV module type. The qualitative analysis shows that small PV platforms installed in the built environment require accurate investigations on the air currents with influence on snow and frost retention/melting and water vapor condensation. In the temperate climate, with snowy winters and rather warm summers, the best performing modules are of poly-crystalline silicon; among thin film modules, the best output corresponds to CIGS, while the steadiest efficiency corresponds to CdTe. Tracking has a “leveling” effect on the conversion efficiency, making the PV output more predictable during days with preponderant direct solar irradiance.

Keywords: Infield photovoltaic response; Photovoltaic output; Photovoltaic efficiency; BIPV (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148116302956
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:95:y:2016:i:c:p:178-190

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2016.04.003

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable Energy is currently edited by Soteris A. Kalogirou and Paul Christodoulides

More articles in Renewable Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().