In situ quantification of temperature and strain within photovoltaic modules through optical sensing

Abstract

The ability to quantify internal strain levels within a photovoltaic (PV) laminate is essential to aid in the development of reliable and sustainable PV modules. This need is even greater for emerging applications with a high degree of integration such as vehicle and infrastructure integrated PV. Within this work, we demonstrate a scalable optical sensing solution, which allows for the in situ thermo-mechanical strain and temperature monitoring of photovoltaic modules. Using a combination of two optic fibers with fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) with a different packaging, an absolute inlaminate temperature accuracy of AE 0.3 C has been achieved along with the ability to detect changes in strain as low as AE 0.248 μϵ. The sensor solution provides the potential to monitor and quantify various failure modes or degradation at various stages in the development process up to in-field monitoring. Furthermore, it provides a platform for the direct validation of physics-based simulations.

Optical fibre-based sensors for monitoring offshore floating photovoltaic farms

“…Based on these results, it is possible to anticipate how many of these sensors will be possible over a given range of possible strain and temperature values. An experiment is carried out in [13] that uses temperature ranges of -40°C to 80°C and considers strain from 0% to 4%, for analytical purposes these shall be utilised in this discussion. In addition, silica will be considered as the core material.…”

Thin-Film Transistor-Based Sensor Interface Circuits Enabling Distributed Local In-Module Solar Cell Temperature Monitoring

“…As strain and temperature are important factors for performance and lifetime of solar modules, much research has been conducted to measure and monitor in-situ thermomechanical strain and temperature profile over a cell. By using optical fibers with fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs), Nivelle et al achieved an absolute in-laminate temperature accuracy of ±0.3°C along with the ability to detect changes in strain as low as ±0.248με [29], [30]. Similar method has been utilized by Li et al to detect hot spots failure modes to prove possibility of real-time temperature change detection and monitoring in PV modules [31].…”