Comparison of pyranometers vs. PV reference cells for evaluation of PV array performance

As the photovoltaics (PV) industry has grown, the need for accurately monitoring the solar resource of PV power plants has increased. Historically, the PV industry has relied on thermopile pyranometers for irradiance measurements, and a large body of historical irradiance data taken with pyranometers exists. However, interest in PV reference devices is increasing. In this paper, we discuss why PV reference devices are better suited for PV applications, and estimate the typical uncertainties in irradiance measurements made with both pyranometers and PV reference devices. We assert that the quantity of interest in monitoring a PV power plant is the equivalent irradiance under the IEC 60904-3 reference solar spectrum that would produce the same electrical response in the PV array as the incident solar radiation. For PV-plant monitoring applications, we find the uncertainties in irradiance measurements of this type to be on the order of +/-5% for thermopile pyranometers and +/-2.4% for PV reference devices

Phase-controlled, heterodyne laser-induced transient grating measurements of thermal transport properties in opaque material

The methodology for a heterodyned laser-induced transient thermal grating technique for non-contact, non-destructive measurements of thermal transport in opaque material is presented. Phase-controlled heterodyne detection allows us to isolate pure phase or amplitude transient grating signal contributions by varying the relative phase between reference and probe beams. The phase grating signal includes components associated with both transient reflectivity and surface displacement whereas the amplitude grating contribution is governed by transient reflectivity alone. By analyzing the latter with the two-dimensional thermal diffusion model, we extract the in-plane thermal diffusivity of the sample. Measurements on a 5 {\mu}m thick single crystal PbTe film yielded excellent agreement with the model over a range of grating periods from 1.6 to 2.8 {\mu}m. The measured thermal diffusivity of 1.3 \times 10-6 m2/s was found to be slightly lower than the bulk value.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figure

Ab initio Quantum and ab initio Molecular Dynamics of the Dissociative Adsorption of Hydrogen on Pd(100)

The dissociative adsorption of hydrogen on Pd(100) has been studied by ab initio quantum dynamics and ab initio molecular dynamics calculations. Treating all hydrogen degrees of freedom as dynamical coordinates implies a high dimensionality and requires statistical averages over thousands of trajectories. An efficient and accurate treatment of such extensive statistics is achieved in two steps: In a first step we evaluate the ab initio potential energy surface (PES) and determine an analytical representation. Then, in an independent second step dynamical calculations are performed on the analytical representation of the PES. Thus the dissociation dynamics is investigated without any crucial assumption except for the Born-Oppenheimer approximation which is anyhow employed when density-functional theory calculations are performed. The ab initio molecular dynamics is compared to detailed quantum dynamical calculations on exactly the same ab initio PES. The occurence of quantum oscillations in the sticking probability as a function of kinetic energy is addressed. They turn out to be very sensitive to the symmetry of the initial conditions. At low kinetic energies sticking is dominated by the steering effect which is illustrated using classical trajectories. The steering effects depends on the kinetic energy, but not on the mass of the molecules. Zero-point effects lead to strong differences between quantum and classical calculations of the sticking probability. The dependence of the sticking probability on the angle of incidence is analysed; it is found to be in good agreement with experimental data. The results show that the determination of the potential energy surface combined with high-dimensional dynamical calculations, in which all relevant degrees of freedon are taken into account, leads to a detailed understanding of the dissociation dynamics of hydrogen at a transition metal surface.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, subm. to Phys. Rev.

Local variability in PV soiling rate

We examine the correlation between monthly PV system soiling rates over a multi-year period within two groups of First Solar soiling stations in separate regions of California as a function of site separation. The results demonstrate large seasonal variations in monthly soiling rates, with seasonal patterns that differ between sites. Monthly patterns at nearby sites were more highly correlated, suggesting that soiling rates can be strongly affected by local geography and weather. For the two regions studied, soiling rate pattern correlation diminished beyond a distance on the order of 50 km

Reactions of gas phase H atoms with ethylene, acetylene and ethane adsorbed on Ni(1 1 1)

The products of the reaction of the most energetic form of hydrogen, gas phase H atoms, with ethylene, acetylene and ethane adsorbed on a Ni(1 1 1) surface at 60 K are probed. Adsorbed ethylidyne (CCH3) is identified by high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy to be the major product (30% yield) in all three cases. Adsorbed acetylene is a minor product (3% yield) and arises as a consequence of a dynamic equilibrium between CCH3 and C2H2 in the presence of gas phase H atoms. The observation of the same product for the reaction of H atoms with all three hydrocarbons implies that CCH3 is the most stable C2 species in the presence of coadsorbed hydrogen. The rates of CCH3 production are measured as a function of the time of exposure of H atoms to each hydrocarbon. A simple kinetic model treating each reaction as a pseudo-first order reaction in the hydrocarbon coverage is fit to these data. A mechanism for the formation of CCH3 via a CHCH2 intermediate common to all three reactants is proposed to describe this model. The observed instability of the CH2CH3 species relative to C2H4 plays a role in the formulation of this mechanism as does the observed stability of CHCH2 species in the presence of coadsorbed hydrogen. The CH2CH3 and the CHCH2 species are produced by the translational activation of ethane and the dissociative ionization of ethane and ethylene, respectively. In addition, the binding energy and the vibrational spectrum of ethane adsorbed on Ni(1 1 1) are determined and exceptionally high resolution vibrational spectra of adsorbed ethylene and acetylene are presented

Catalytic hydrogenation of acetylene on Ni(111) by surface-bound H and bulk H

The reactions of hydrogen atoms adsorbed on a Ni(111) surface (surface-bound H) and hydrogen atoms just below the surface (bulk H) with coadsorbed acetylene are probed under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. Bulk H is observed to react with acetylene upon emerging onto the surface at 180 K. Gas-phase hydrogenation products, ethylene and ethane, are produced as well as an adsorbed species, ethylidyne. Ethylidyne is identified by high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. Surface-bound H reacts with adsorbed acetylene above 250 K to produce a single product, adsorbed ethylidyne. No gas-phase hydrogenation products, such as ethylene or ethane, are observed. The reaction of surface-bound H is extremely slow, with a rate constant determined from measurements of the initial reaction rate to be in the range of 10-5−10-3 (ML s)-1 for a temperature range of 250−280 K. The activation energy for the rate-determining step, which is shown to be the addition of the first surface-bound H to acetylene to form an adsorbed vinyl species, increases from 9 to 17 kcal/mol as the total coverage decreases from 0.92 to 0.74 ML. The reaction rate cannot be described by a simple first-order dependence on the coverage of either reactant, indicating the presence of strong interactions between reactants. Measurements of the equilibrium constant reveal strong interactions between the reactant surface H and the product ethylidyne, possibly resulting in island formation. Mechanisms for the formation of ethylidyne by the reactions of both surface-bound and bulk H are proposed, as well as mechanisms for the formation of ethylene and ethane by bulk H. The different product distributions resulting from the reaction of acetylene with the two forms of hydrogen are discussed in terms of the large energy difference between bulk and surface-bound H

Saharan dust transport to Europe and its impact on photovoltaic performance: A case study of soiling in Portugal

Abstract The impact of long range Saharan dust transport, arising from one event in February and other in March 2017, on the performance of photovoltaic flat panels is reported as a case study of soiling. Through satellite images, dust coming from north Africa was detected, while using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory, specific origin locations of the dust were found. Dust accumulated on glass coupons deployed in Southern Portugal, Évora and Alter do Chão, was analysed by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy. Mass accumulation on those coupons was weekly measured with a microbalance and related with environmental parameters, aerosol optical depth and rain, through a proposed empirical model. Performance measurement took place at Évora using mc-Si PV flat panels and an I-V curve tracer to get two parameters: maximum output power and short-circuit current. It was found that the first dust event led to decreases in the maximum output power of ≈8% and in the short-circuit current of ≈3%, while the second event led to a decrease of ≈3% in both parameters. A relation between PV performance and mass accumulation was successfully explored

An in-depth field validation of “DUSST”. A novel low-maintenance soiling measurement device

This study presents indoor and field validation results for two versions of the “DUSST” optical soiling sensor, intended to be a low-cost and low-maintenance device for measuring photovoltaic soiling losses. Indoor testing covers irradiance calibration and temperature dependencies, which are necessary to achieve high accuracy, low uncertainty field measurements. Field testing includes an array of different environments including Saudi Arabia, California, Utah, and Colorado. DUSST versions include a configuration with a 530-nm light emitting diode (LED) (discussed in previous work) and a unit with seven white LEDs and a polycarbonate collimating optic. The new design increases light intensity fivefold and demonstrates a single linear calibration coefficient is effective to measure soiling losses as high as 75%. Field data from Utah and California demonstrate that daily soiling loss measurements and soiling rate calculations closely match both reference cell and full-size module measurements of soiling losses and soiling rates. Corrective methods employed on the Utah DUSST sensor suggest that it is possible to achieve measurement errors as low as ±0.1% at two standard deviations. Field data from both Colorado and Saudi Arabia demonstrate that LED lens soiling can occur and that further design optimizations are needed. The lesson learned from all the field deployment locations suggests directions for future design improvements