New trends in photovoltaic economy and development of a different technological spectral approach in concentrator photovoltaics

[ES] La energía fotovoltaica basada en el silicio posee una madurez tecnológica fruto de años de experiencia, aunque actualmente existe un punto de inflexión en su desarrollo debido a los límites teóricos de eficiencia. Por ello, se necesitan nuevos enfoques y aplicaciones. Los nuevos enfoques van encaminados al concepto de autoconsumo, donde el usuario se convierte en productor de su electricidad. Aunque la paridad de red es una realidad en España, se propone un modelo de cálculo económico adaptado a los perfiles de consumo y a las tarifas eléctricas existentes, donde se aprecia que dicha paridad podrá no ser totalmente rentable. En cuanto a las aplicaciones alternativas está la Concentración Solar Fotovoltaica, donde una línea de investigación recae en la profundización del estudio de la sensibilidad y limitación de las células de alta eficiencia al espectro solar. Esta tesis realiza una contribución tecnológica mediante el desarrollo de un prototipo que mide la subcélula limitante en estos dispositivos fotovoltaicos multiunión.[EN]The photovoltaic energy based on Silicon has a technological maturity as a result of years of experience, but nowadays there is an inflection point regarding the continuity of its development which is related to its proximity to the maximum theoretic efficiency. Therefore new approaches and applications are necessary. The new approaches are focused on the self-consumption concept, where the enduser turns into an electricity producer. Despite the feasibility of the grid-parity in Spain, a new economic calculus methodology is proposed based on the consumption profiles and the electricity tariffs, where cases of non-profitability will be detected. Regarding the technological alternatives, the Concentrated Photovoltaic appears. One of the research lines falls on the further study of the sensitivity and limitation of the high-efficiency solar cells regarding the solar spectrum. The technological contribution in this thesis is the development of an experimental setup capable of measuring the Iimiting subcell in these multijunctions devicesTesis Univ. Jaén. Departamento de Ingeniería Electrónica y Automática, leída 3 de julio de 201

Lessons learned from the field analysis of PV installations in the Saharawi refugee camps after 10 years of operation

Energy access at refugee camps is one of the main challenges to address in humanitarian response actions, especially on long-term situations. The lack of access to electricity depends, among other factors, on the local natural resources and available technologies. In this sense, solar photovoltaic is one of the most appropriate technologies, especially now with the decrease of the photovoltaic costs. But long-term performance, reliability and social acceptance must be ensured to facilitate the introduction of the technology and its rapid widespread in these humanitarian context. This work presents the results of a field study conducted at the Saharawi refugee camps, inspecting the photovoltaic systems installed in the health institutions after 10 years of use. Results show how despite the good initial system design and high quality of the PV components, the lack of training on operation and maintenance of the PV installations have led to a dramatic reduction of the lifetime of the systems. Strong training programs on basic photovoltaic concepts and operation and maintenance of systems are required to solve this problem and guarantee the long-term functioning of the installations

Comparison of two PV array models for the simulation of PV systems using five different algorithms for the parameters identification

Simulation is of primal importance in the prediction of the produced power and automatic fault detection in PV grid-connected systems (PVGCS). The accuracy of simulation results depends on the models used for main components of the PV system, especially for the PV module. The present paper compares two PV array models, the five-parameter model (5PM) and the Sandia Array Performance Model (SAPM). Five different algorithms are used for estimating the unknown parameters of both PV models in order to see how they affect the accuracy of simulations in reproducing the outdoor behavior of three PVGCS. The arrays of the PVGCS are of three different PV module technologies: Crystalline silicon (c-Si), amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and micromorph silicon (a-Si:H/µc-Si:H). The accuracy of PV module models based on the five algorithms is evaluated by means of the Route Mean Square Error (RMSE) and the Normalized Mean Absolute Error (NMAE), calculated for different weather conditions (clear sky, semi-cloudy and cloudy days). For both models considered in this study, the best accuracy is obtained from simulations using the estimated values of unknown parameters delivered by the ABC algorithm. Where, the maximum error values of RMSE and NMAE stay below 6.61% and 2.66% respectively.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

On-site measurement of limiting subcell in multijunction solar devices

It is well known that the response of any photovoltaic solar cell is dependent on the spectral characteristics of the incident radiation. This dependency is crucial in the output characteristics of a multijunction (MJ) cell where the spectral composition of the radiation determines the overall photocurrent produced, as either the top or the middle subcell will be limiting its response. The current mismatching between top and middle subcell is translated into energy losses, affecting the yield of the system. For research and commercial purposes it is interesting to measure accurately the incident solar radiation on a MJ cell, in terms of its spectral composition. This measurement will allows us to determine the photocurrent generated in each band of the multijunction device. Nowadays, the only way of measuring the photocurrent generated by each subcell is done with isotype cells or with spectroradiometers but there is no device capable of directly measuring each subcell photocurrent. In this paper it is described a device based on a commercial multijunction solar cell that is capable of measuring the direct irradiance for the top and middle bands thus it offers information of the limiting subcell (top or middle) in outdoors conditions

Photovoltaic road and rail noise barriers at different environmental and soil conditions, including mining terrains

Regulations and standards concerning noise road and rail barriers are presented together with an actual state-of-the-art in Europe. Application of photovoltaics to such infrastructure are considered. The targets of international CEFRABID research project, realised within ERA-SOLAR.NET European program, and concerning photovoltaic road and rail noise barriers for Austria, Cyprus, Poland and Spain, at different environmental and soil conditions, including mining terrains are shortly presented

Identification of Educational Models That Encourage Business Participation in Higher Education Institutions

In a scenario in which the labour market is increasingly competitive and there is a need to provide students with practical training, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) must promote the labour integration of students, by building their competences and shaping their skills in accordance with the strategic plans of companies. In the past, cooperation between companies and universities was based on informal agreements. Nowadays, companies are actively involved in the development of educational models. This is not only part of their corporate social responsibility, but also represents a business opportunity. In this context, the research performed to identify collaboration models between companies and HEIs that simplify the integration of training processes in companies is scarce. Therefore, the aim of this research is to identify existing joint educational models between companies and HEIs and to propose a methodology that allows them to select the models most in line with their business. The methodology applies a multi-criteria selection procedure and, in a simple way, enables the businesses to identify how to increase their involvement. Model identification is based on a proposal of common features that uses indicators for involvement quantification. This study selected ten HEI-company cooperation models and subsequently applied the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method to analyse the level of involvement that these models require of companies. Five models of different involvement levels were selected and detailed by their features

Comparison of two PV array models for the simulation of PV systems using five different algorithms for the parameters identification

Simulation is of primal importance in the prediction of the produced power and automatic fault detection in PV grid-connected systems (PVGCS). The accuracy of simulation results depends on the models used for main components of the PV system, especially for the PV module. The present paper compares two PV array models, the five-parameter model (5PM) and the Sandia Array Performance Model (SAPM). Five different algorithms are used for estimating the unknown parameters of both PV models in order to see how they affect the accuracy of simulations in reproducing the outdoor behavior of three PVGCS. The arrays of the PVGCS are of three different PV module technologies: Crystalline silicon (c-Si), amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and micromorph silicon (a-Si:H/µc-Si:H). The accuracy of PV module models based on the five algorithms is evaluated by means of the Route Mean Square Error (RMSE) and the Normalized Mean Absolute Error (NMAE), calculated for different weather conditions (clear sky, semi-cloudy and cloudy days). For both models considered in this study, the best accuracy is obtained from simulations using the estimated values of unknown parameters delivered by the ABC algorithm. Where, the maximum error values of RMSE and NMAE stay below 6.61% and 2.66% respectively.Peer Reviewe

The role of solar PV, wind energy, and storage technologies in the transition toward a fully sustainable energy system in Chile by 2050 across power, heat, transport and desalination sectors

Renewable energies will play a significant role in a sustainable energy system in order to match the goal under the Paris Agreement. However, to achieve the goal it will be necessary to find the best country pathway, with global repercussion. This study reveals that an energy system based on 100% renewable resources in Chile could be technically feasible and even more cost-efficient than the current system. The Chilean energy system transition would imply a high level of electrification across all sectors, direct and indirectly. Simulation results using the LUT Energy System Transition model show that the primary electricity demand would rise from 31.1 TWh to 231 TWh by 2050, which represent about 78% of the total primary energy demand. Renewable electricity will mainly come from solar PV and wind energy technologies. Solar PV and wind energy installed capacities across all sectors would increase from 1.1 GW and 0.8 GW in 2015 to 43.6 GW and 24.8 GW by 2050, respectively. In consequence, the levelised cost of energy will be reduced in about 25%. Moreover, the Chilean energy system in 2050 would emit zero greenhouse gases. Additionally, Chile would become a country free of energy imports

Analysis of the Performance of Various PV Module Technologies in Peru

A knowledge gap exists about the actual behavior of PV grid-connected systems (PVGCS) using various PV technologies in Peru. This paper presents the results of an over three-year-long performance evaluation of a 3.3-kWp monocrystalline silicon (sc-Si) PVGCS located in Arequipa, a 3.3-kWp sc-Si PVGCS located in Tacna, and a 3-kWp policrystalline (mc-Si) PVGCS located in Lima. An assessment of the performance of a 3.5-kWp amorphous silicon/crystalline silicon hetero-junction (a-Si/µc-Si) PVGCS during over one and a half years of being in Lima is also presented. The annual final yields obtained lie within 1770–1992 kWh/kW, 1505–1540 kWh/kW, and 736–833 kWh/kW for Arequipa, Tacna, and Lima, respectively, while the annual PV array energy yield achieved by a-Si/µc-Si is 1338 kWh/kW. The annual performance ratio stays in the vicinity of 0.83 for sc-Si in Arequipa and Tacna while this parameter ranges from 0.70 to 0.77 for mc-Si in Lima. An outstanding DC annual performance ratio of 0.97 is found for a-Si/µc-Si in the latter site. The use of sc-Si and presumably, mc-Si PV modules in desert climates, such as that of Arequipa and Tacna, is encouraged. However, sc-Si and presumably, mc-Si-technologies experience remarkable temperature and low irradiance losses in Lima. By contrast, a-Si/µc-Si PV modules perform much better in the latter site thanks to being less influenced by both temperature and low light levels

Typical Daily Profiles, a novel approach for photovoltaics performance assessment

A growing photovoltaic industry shows exponential deployment worldwide, and it is expected to largely contribute to the energy transition. Because PV technologies will play a major role in achieving global sustainable development and climate goals, driving more energy-efficient scenarios will require efficient approaches to evaluate systems, especially when dealing with big data of a large region or portfolio. In this work, a novel approach for the PV performance assessment of photovoltaic systems, called “Typical Daily Profiles” (TDP), is presented. This approach is tested on the entire PV fleet operating in Chile from 2014 to 2019. The TDP approach can help to calculate key performance indicators, identify the mounting configuration of PV systems, and to detect major technical issues. A detailed validation carried on the Chilean PV fleet confirms the TDP approach’s capabilities to provide accurate PV performance results, neglecting external factors such as failures, grid curtailment, or poor operation activities. Chile was chosen due to the large variety of climate zones in its unique geography, which helps to understand the PV performance under different environmental conditions. Besides, this study reveals the immense potential of PV technologies in Chile compared to mature PV markets worldwide. On an annual basis, their unit capacity factors can reach up to 38%, performance ratios above 90%, and the highest energy yield close to 3350 kWh/kWp. Proving to be an accurate tool, the Typical Daily Profiles approach can be easily applied to other PV portfolios in different regions, and a periodical execution could help to identify and understand long-term performance losses