Comparison of PV module performance before and after 11-years of field exposure

Reis, Antonio; Coleman, N.T.; Marshall, M. W.; Lehman, Peter; Chamberlin, Charles

doi:10.1109/pvsc.2002.1190878

Cited by 48 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…This is very comparable to the data observed in this study. The degradation rate for a further PV array 6 installed in 1991 indicates a degradation of 4Á39% in 11 years, again comparable to this study. The causes for degradation in continuous operation can be many.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

The performance of crystalline silicon photovoltaic solar modules after 22 years of continuous outdoor exposure

Dunlop

Halton

2005

Prog. Photovolt: Res. Appl.

128

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This paper presents the results of 40 silicon-based photovoltaic solar modules originating from six different manufactures which were tested and characterised originally at the European Solar Test Installation, (ESTI), in the period 1982-1984. These same modules have been re-measured in 2004 after 20-22 years of continuous outdoor weathering. These modules are a subset 'Rack C' of the JRC Ispra outdoor test field where examples of diverse generations of PV technologies have been subjected to long-term climatic exposure. We have compared the results obtained from these samples with the typical guarantees which are given by module manufacturers and we can see that in general the manufacturers are conservative with their power guarantees. Most modules exceed the minimum power levels given for 10 years exposure, even after 22 years in the field. The results presented in this paper indicate that the degradation observed in the field is comparable to that observed in Type Approval Testing. This result not only validates the testing and stress levels applied in the Type Approval Tests, but also would indicate that (with the majority of modules exceeding the level of 92% of P max after 20 years) the actual lifetime of these products is significantly more than 20 years.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

The performance of crystalline silicon photovoltaic solar modules after 22 years of continuous outdoor exposure

Dunlop

Halton

2005

Prog. Photovolt: Res. Appl.

128

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“…The main conclusion of these studies is that solar modules do not usually fail in a catastrophic way but experience a steady power degradation over time. 5,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] This degradation process has been reported to undergo two different stages: within the first year of exposure solar modules exhibit a rapid degradation (1-3%), 18,19,27 thereafter a slower linear degradation rate is observed (0Á5-1Á0%/year). Another important issue that affects PV module performance is that the variability of PV module power increases over time.…”

Section: Review Of Field Degradation Studies Of Pv Modulesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another important issue that affects PV module performance is that the variability of PV module power increases over time. 18,20,21 In the following we will summarize the most significant data from the degradation studies in Table I: 1. The Australian Cooperative Research Center 15 evaluated the performance of five different PV module technologies-c-Si, p-Si, triple junction a-Si, CIS and the laser grooved buried contact (LGBC) c-Si-over 16 months of operation in a temperate climate (Perth, Australia).…”

Section: Review Of Field Degradation Studies Of Pv Modulesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photovoltaic module reliability model based on field degradation studies

Vázquez

Rey‐Stolle

2008

Progress in Photovoltaics

257

130

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Crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) modules are often stated as being the most reliable element in PV systems. This presumable high reliability is reflected by their long power warranty periods. In agreement with these long warranty times, PV modules have a very low total number of returns, the exceptions usually being the result of catastrophic failures. Up to now, failures resulting from degradation are not typically taken into consideration because of the difficulties in measuring the power of an individual module in a system. However, lasting recent years PV systems are changing from small isolated systems to large grid-connected power stations. In this new scenario, customers will become more sensitive to power losses and the need for a reliability model based on degradation may become of utmost importance. In this paper, a PV module reliability model based on degradation studies is presented. The main analytical functions of reliability engineering are evaluated using this model and applied to a practical case, based on state-of-the-art parameters of crystalline silicon PV technology. Relevant and defensible power warranties and other reliability data are obtained with this model based on measured degradation rates and time-dependent power variability. In the derivation of the model some assumptions are made about the future behaviour of the products-i.e. linear degradation rates-although the approach can be used for other assumed functional profiles as well. The method documented in this paper explicitly shows manufacturers how to make reasonable and sensible warranty projections.

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“…However, manufacturers often consider this initial decrease in power to be part of the assumed degradation of longterm sunlight exposure. There are many studies on longterm degradation [11][12][13]. Some of them present models to predict the future power that PV modules will supply [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of initial power stabilization over crystalline‐Si photovoltaic modules maximum power

Muñoz¹,

Chenlo

Alonso-García

2010

Progress in Photovoltaics

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Measurements that suppliers offer in specification sheets are not always close to the actual power measured in independent laboratories such as CIEMAT. Independent measurements tend to be lower than those printed on the label sometimes even lower than the allowed tolerance indicated by the manufacturer on the same label. Furthermore, a potentially significant power reduction has been reported when Standard EN50380 (which requires photovoltaic (PV) modules to be exposed to more than 20kWh/m 2 of sunlight prior to taking the measurements that appear on the label) is followed. This is the initial power stabilization and this work studies the power stabilization that tends to appear in crystalline PV modules. Crystalline PV modules usually decrease in power around 1 %, but decreases >4% have also been reported. These power losses are only detected after the mentioned power stabilization.

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Comparison of PV module performance before and after 11-years of field exposure

Cited by 48 publications

References 4 publications

The performance of crystalline silicon photovoltaic solar modules after 22 years of continuous outdoor exposure

The performance of crystalline silicon photovoltaic solar modules after 22 years of continuous outdoor exposure

Photovoltaic module reliability model based on field degradation studies

Influence of initial power stabilization over crystalline‐Si photovoltaic modules maximum power

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