35 years of photovoltaics: Analysis of the TISO‐10‐kW solar plant, lessons learnt in safety and performance—Part 1

Virtuani, Alessandro; Caccivio, Mauro; Annigoni, Eleonora; Friesen, Gabi; Chianese, D.; Ballif, Christophe; Sample, Tony

doi:10.1002/pip.3104

Cited by 59 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 15 publications

(21 reference statements)

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“…This paper constitutes the second, and last, part of an extensive and detailed study of the performance of the TISO PV plant after 35 years of operation (2017). In Part 1, we presented the results of the characterization of the electrical performance of the PV modules throughout the 35 years of operation. We found, in particular, that the degradation rate is not the same for all the 288 modules and we could instead distinguish two groups of modules, group 1 and group 2, which experienced a mean power degradation of, respectively, 0.20%/y and 0.69%/y, with a very narrow and broad distribution, respectively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Exceeding the 25‐year warranty (commonly used in the PV industry) by 10 years, it constitutes a valuable source of information on the long‐term performance and the end‐of‐life of PV modules. This paper constitutes the second, and last, part of an extensive study on the performance of solar modules after 35 years (2017) of operation (Part 1 is in Virtuani et al).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The two papers on the 35‐year measurement campaign (2017) are organized as follows. Part 1 focuses on performance measurements and modules' power degradation rates. The overall mean power loss for the whole set of 288 modules is 23.5%, corresponding to a mean power degradation of 0.67%/y.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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35 years of photovoltaics: Analysis of the TISO‐10‐kW solar plant, lessons learnt in safety and performance—Part 2

Annigoni

Virtuani

Caccivio

et al. 2019

Progress in Photovoltaics

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The TISO‐10‐kW plant, installed in Lugano (Switzerland) in 1982, is the first grid‐connected PV plant in Europe. In a joint publication (part 1), we presented the results of the electrical characterization performed in 2017—after 35 years of operation—of the 288 Arco Solar modules constituting the plant. Power degradation rates were different among modules and two groups could clearly be distinguished: group 1, with a remarkably low mean degradation rate of −0.2% per year, and group 2, with a mean degradation of −0.69% per year. After 35 in a temperate climate, approximately 70% of the modules (considering a ±3% measurement uncertainty) still exhibit a performance higher than 80% of their initial value. In this paper, when possible, we attempt at correlating module performance losses to specific failure mechanisms. For this sake, an extensive characterization of the modules was performed using visual inspection, IV curve measurements, electroluminescence, and infrared imaging. We remarkably find that module degradation rates are highly correlated to the aging pattern of the encapsulants used in module manufacturing. In particular, a specific formulation of the encapsulant (PVB), which was used only in a minority of the modules (approximately 10%), leads to degradation rates of −0.2% per year, which corresponds to a loss in performance below 10% over 35 years. Potential safety threats are also investigated, by measuring the frame continuity, the functionality of the bypass diodes, and the module insulation. Finally, we discuss how the analysis of a 35‐year‐old PV module technology could benefit the industry in order to target PV module lifetimes of 40+ years.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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35 years of photovoltaics: Analysis of the TISO‐10‐kW solar plant, lessons learnt in safety and performance—Part 2

Annigoni

Virtuani

Caccivio

et al. 2019

Progress in Photovoltaics

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“…When standard modules became mainstream many scientific publications covered and shared test results, which helped to gain a greater understanding on the topic [61][62][63]. In this section, a similar approach is chosen to fill the knowledge gap about the technical characterisation at module level of coloured BIPV products in the scientific community.…”

Section: Experimental Characterisation Of Bipv Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coloured BIPV Technologies: Methodological and Experimental Assessment for Architecturally Sensitive Areas

et al. 2020

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Energy flexibility in buildings is gaining momentum with the introduction of new European directives that enable buildings to manage their own energy demand and production, by storing, consuming or selling electricity according to their need. The transition towards a low-carbon energy system, through the promotion of on-site energy production and enhancement of self-consumption, can be supported by building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) technologies. This paper investigates the aesthetic and technological integration of hidden coloured PV modules in architecturally sensitive areas that seem to be the best possibility to favour a balance between conservation and energy issues. First, a multidisciplinary methodology for evaluating the aesthetic and technical integration of PV systems in architecturally sensitive area is proposed, referring to the technologies available on the market. Second, the experimental characterisation of the technical performance specific BIPV modules and their comparison with standard modules under standard weather condition are analysed, with the aim of acquiring useful data for comparing the modules’ integration properties and performance. For this purpose, new testbeds have been set up to investigate the aesthetic integration and the energy performances of innovative BIPV products. The paper describes the analyses carried out to define the final configuration of these experimental testbeds. Finally, the experimental characterisation at standard test conditions of two coloured BIPV modules is presented and the experimental design for the outdoor testing is outlined.

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“…The first set of data are those of the TIcino SOlare (TISO)-10-kW PV plant in Lugano (Switzerland). 25,26 The TISO-10 PV system has been connected to the grid since 1982 and is the oldest installation of this kind in Europe (we shall refer to them as "TISO modules" hereafter).…”

Section: Ticino Solare Modulesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photovoltaic lifetime forecast model based on degradation patterns

Kaaya

Lindig

Weiß

et al. 2020

Progress in Photovoltaics

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The ever‐growing secondary market of photovoltaic (PV) systems (i.e., the transaction of solar plants ownership) calls for reliable and high‐quality long‐term PV degradation forecasts to mitigate the financial risks. However, when long‐term PV performance degradation forecasts are required after a short time with limited degradation history, the existing physical and data‐driven methods often provide unrealistic degradation scenarios. Therefore, we present a new data‐driven method to forecast PV lifetime after a small performance degradation of only 3%. To achieve an accurate and reliable forecast, the developed method addresses the fundamental challenges that usually affect long‐term degradation evaluation such as data treatment, choosing a good degradation model, and understanding the different degradation patterns. In the paper, we propose and describe an algorithm for degradation trend evaluation, a new concept of multiple “time‐ and degradation pattern‐dependent” degradation factors. The proposed method has been calibrated and validated using different PV modules and systems data of 5 to 35 years of field exposure. The model has been benchmarked against existing statistical models evaluating 11 experimental PV systems with different technologies. The key advantage of our model over statistical ones is the ability to perform more reliable forecasts with limited degradation history. With an average relative uncertainty of 7.0%, our model is outstanding in consistency for different forecasting time horizons. Moreover, the model is applicable to all PV technologies. The proposed method will aid in making reliable financial decisions and also in adequately planning operation and maintenance activities.

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35 years of photovoltaics: Analysis of the TISO‐10‐kW solar plant, lessons learnt in safety and performance—Part 1

Cited by 59 publications

References 15 publications

35 years of photovoltaics: Analysis of the TISO‐10‐kW solar plant, lessons learnt in safety and performance—Part 2

35 years of photovoltaics: Analysis of the TISO‐10‐kW solar plant, lessons learnt in safety and performance—Part 2

Coloured BIPV Technologies: Methodological and Experimental Assessment for Architecturally Sensitive Areas

Photovoltaic lifetime forecast model based on degradation patterns

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