Outdoor performance testing of thin-film PV modules in the hot and humid climate

Author

Dhere, Neelkanth G. ; Kaul, A. ; Pethe, Shirish A. ; Schneller, Eric ; Shiradkar, Narendra S.

Author_Institution

Florida Solar Energy Center, Cocoa, FL, USA

fYear

2013

fDate

16-21 June 2013

Firstpage

2994

Lastpage

2997

Abstract

Results from outdoor exposure testing of thin-film PV modules from various US manufacturers are being presented. The modules were deployed in the hot and humid climate of Florida. The duration of the exposure ranged between 2½ to over 6 years for various technologies. PVUSA type regression analysis was carried out for the continuously measured output power from the PV arrays to study their performance variation with time. Annual energy yield was also determined for the duration of this study. Estimates of performance degradation are provided so as to assist in the compilation of degradation data for the Thin Film PV Module Task Group 8 of International Quality Assurance Task Force.

Keywords

integrated circuit testing; regression analysis; semiconductor thin films; solar cell arrays; thin film devices; Florida; International Quality Assurance Task Force; PV arrays; PVUSA type regression analysis; annual energy yield; degradation data compilation; hot climate; humid climate; outdoor exposure testing; outdoor performance testing; performance degradation estimation; thin film PV module task group 8; Arrays; Degradation; Junctions; Market research; Meteorology; Photovoltaic systems; Testing; CIGS; CdTe; a-Si:H; semiconductor device reliability; thin film;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC), 2013 IEEE 39th

Conference_Location

Tampa, FL

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/PVSC.2013.6745092

Filename

6745092