In-Field Solar Panel Assessment and Fault Diagnosis

Photovoltaic energy is a green energy that suit from small houses to high-power stations spanning large areas. In such large areas, monitoring individual panels can be a tedious task, especially if it was required to identify operational faults of these panels. Photovoltaic 4.0 technology depend on collecting data from each station and feeding them to a central processing system that can analyze operation data and hopefully locate when a fault happens. In such method, it is crucial to be accurate as much as possible and for measuring device to be accurate as well to have a clear judgement. In this work, we build an analysis module at the center of a photovoltaic 4.0 station implemented in the American University in Cairo. The model is comprehensive in nature and is capable of modelling from individual cell level to the whole panel level as well as dealing with measurement issues to have a good judgement at the end. The used model is based on single-diode model of a solar panel and is capable of modelling solar panels in different environmental conditions and is validated against datasheet and actual measurement. Source code for the analysis module and the dataset are provided. It was shown that Laudani’s method of parameter extraction is more successful compared to Stonelli’s method and translating circuit parameters at different environmental conditions proved to be successful and matching to datasheets. Besides, it provided sufficient predictions without need to an actual weather station. The proposed analysis module provided insights about dusty conditions and irregularities that may exist in solar panel characterizer

Roadmap on Photovoltaic Absorber Materials for Sustainable Energy Conversion

Photovoltaics (PVs) are a critical technology for curbing growing levels of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and meeting increases in future demand for low-carbon electricity. In order to fulfil ambitions for net-zero carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) emissions worldwide, the global cumulative capacity of solar PVs must increase by an order of magnitude from 0.9 TWp in 2021 to 8.5 TWp by 2050 according to the International Renewable Energy Agency, which is considered to be a highly conservative estimate. In 2020, the Henry Royce Institute brought together the UK PV community to discuss the critical technological and infrastructure challenges that need to be overcome to address the vast challenges in accelerating PV deployment. Herein, we examine the key developments in the global community, especially the progress made in the field since this earlier roadmap, bringing together experts primarily from the UK across the breadth of the photovoltaics community. The focus is both on the challenges in improving the efficiency, stability and levelized cost of electricity of current technologies for utility-scale PVs, as well as the fundamental questions in novel technologies that can have a significant impact on emerging markets, such as indoor PVs, space PVs, and agrivoltaics. We discuss challenges in advanced metrology and computational tools, as well as the growing synergies between PVs and solar fuels, and offer a perspective on the environmental sustainability of the PV industry. Through this roadmap, we emphasize promising pathways forward in both the short- and long-term, and for communities working on technologies across a range of maturity levels to learn from each other.Comment: 160 pages, 21 figure

Novel applications of luminescence for solar energy

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) provide indirect light concentration by absorbing both direct and indirect incident light, and have applications in building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). Fibre LSCs were found to have a linear relationship between photon concentration and fibre lengths in scales suitable for LSC modules. Using raytrace modelling, cylindrical LSC arrays were found to exhibit light trapping properties at certain angles of incidence, which can pave the way for more efficient BIPV applications. Novel optics for a double-illuminated water splitting reactor were introduced, for the objective of solar hydrogen for energy storage and sustainable transport fuels. A reflective cone embedded in a waveguide reflects incident concentrated light into the waveguide. Raytrace modelling and practical high concentration measurements demonstrate the viability of the optical system as well as necessity for a perfectly smooth reflective cone. It was also shown that replaced the reflective cone with a quantum well solar cell (QWSC) in order to harness the photoluminescence (PL) is not a viable concept with current QWSC structures. Another form of sustainable transport fuels is to use biofuels produced by algae. Algae have evolved to absorb excess amounts of energy, even when it is detrimental to their own growth and survival. This causes inefficiencies when growing algae in raceway ponds. The luminescent solar diffuser (LSD) is an optical funnel, optimisable by use of a genetic algorithm, that can be retrofitted into an algae raceway pond in order to better distribute incident light into the pond depths. This was calculated to increase algae growth rates in the pond, thereby increasing the yield of an algae farm.Open Acces

Performance evaluation of the photovoltaic system

The various renewable energy source technologies, Photovoltaics (PV) transforming sunlight directly into electricity, have become standard practice worldwide, especially in countries with high solar radiation levels. PV systems have been developed rapidly over recent years, and many new technologies have emerged from different producers. For each type of PV module, manufacturers provide specific information on rated performance parameters, including power at maximum power point (MPP), efficiency and temperature factors, all under standard solar test conditions (STC) 1000 W/m2. Air. In addition, the mass (AM) of 1.5 and the cell's temperature was 25 ̊C. Unfortunately, this grouping of environmental conditions is infrequently found in outdoor conditions. Also, the data provided by the manufacturers are not sufficient to accurately predict the performance of photovoltaic systems in various climatic conditions. Therefore, monitoring and evaluating the performance of the off-site systems is necessary. This thesis aims to overview various photovoltaic technologies, ranging from crystalline silicon (c-SI) to thin-film CdTe and GiCs. The following are the main parameters for evaluating the external units' performance to describe the PV systems' operation and implementation. In addition, a review of the impacts of various environmental and operational factors, such as solar radiation, temperature, spectrum, and degradation

Results of the IET-ENEA implementation of the JRC-ENEA Memorandum of Understanding

This report describes the projects of the collaboration between ENEA and the Joint Research Centre’s Institute of Energy and Transport (IET), their status and the results achieved. Since the collaboration formally started in 2008, many projects have been undertaken and concluded, often with remarkable results. However, many of the people involved have not been made aware of these results, and neither has a wider audience. This report is intended to fill that gap and to illustrate the richness of results such a collaboration can achieve. The report is also proof of a concept: how to generate added value and tangible synergies when parts of two very large research organisations embark on a formal collaboration. The editors hope it will serve a number of purposes. First, to provide a comprehensive overview and stock-taking of the projects and results achieved. Second, and probably more important, to encourage all staff of both organisations to undertake further interesting projects and to share knowledge, skills, data and facilities.JRC.F.7-Renewables and Energy Efficienc

Innovative Nanomaterial Approaches For Solar Energy Applications

The fundamental limitation of the conversion efficiency achievable with solar energy solutions (which includes photovoltaic and photothermal technology), requires the adaptation and integration of a series of innovative material strategies to continue the process of sustainably decarbonizing the global economy. Through the passive integration of additional nanoscale features which exploit and modify the solar spectrum through its interactions with luminescent molecules, metal nanoparticles, and/or thin-film optical coatings – the solar spectrum can be modulated and accordingly the collection efficiency of each respective technology enhanced. However, irrespective of the type of spectral conversion integrated into the technology (luminescent down-shifting, nanofluids, plasmonic luminescent down-shifting, or spectral beam splitting), a series of additional loss mechanisms are introduced as a result of the architectural modifications. Through a proposed series of innovative & iterative advancements in each one of these material strategies, the objective of alleviating the additional loss mechanisms through a suitable combination of the individual approaches could potentially be realised