New model to study the outdoor degradation of thin–film photovoltaic modules

Michel Piliougine, Paula Sánchez-Friera, Giovanni Petrone, Francisco José Sánchez-Pacheco, Giovanni Spagnuolo and Mariano Sidrach-de-Cardona

Renewable Energy, 2022, vol. 193, issue C, 857-869

Abstract: The performance of four thin-film photovoltaic modules is analyzed after an initial stabilization period and a subsequent outdoor exposition. The seasonal variations and the degradation rates of a single-junction hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) module, a tandem amorphous microcrystalline Silicon (a-Si/μc-Si) module, a heterostructure cadmium sulfide-cadmium telluride (CdS/CdTe) module and a copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) are examined and correlated to spectral changes. The I–V curves have been measured every 5 min; the electrical parameters and parasitic resistances have been identified. By exploiting a number of experimental measurements acquired within a narrow interval of irradiance and cell temperature, a novel mathematical model has been developed and fitted: it considers a stationary seasonal variation component and a linear long-term degradation component. The results show annual power degradation rates of 4.0% for the a-Si:H module, 3.4% for the a-Si/μc-Si and 3.5% for the CdS/CdTe, whereas for the CIGS module the annual degradation is not significant, i.e. 0.2%.

Keywords: Amorphous silicon; Cadmium telluride; Copper indium gallium selenide; Microcrystalline silicon; Photovoltaic degradation; Thin film (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:193:y:2022:i:c:p:857-869

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2022.05.063

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