Spectral irradiance effects on the outdoor performance of photovoltaic modules

Abstract

The outdoor performance of photovoltaic modules is influenced by spectrum. Even if the irradiance level and the operating temperature is the same, performance difference of photovoltaic modules between the seasons can be increase up to 15% depending on the photovoltaic module type. In this paper, seasonal spectral irradiance effects on the outdoor photovoltaic module performance and previous studies has been summarised thoroughly. The spectrum indicators which are used for spectra characteristics, Useful Fraction and Average Photon Energy are described in detail. This study also indicates spectrum effects on PV performance and outlines the present studies investigating this effect.Keywords: spectral effect, photovoltaic module, outdoor performance, useful fraction, average photon energy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 spectrum, and a module temperature of 25⁰C. However, STC are not representatives of actual outdoor conditions in most regions of the world. Therefore, it is suspected that the score of a PV module by power rating method under STC is different from the actual performance in outdoor conditions [1][2][3][4][5].The performance of photovoltaic (PV) modules installed outdoor is greatly influenced by various ambient environmental factors such as incident irradiance, the module temperature and the spectral irradiance distribution.In this study, solar spectrum, the spectral effects on PV performance is discussed. There are a lot papers presented in different organizations outlines the effect on the installed PV systems. More than 200 studies are reviewed and some of them are published in journals or conference proceedings, the rest are unpublished or contains only local data. Solar Spectrum and Additional Spectral Irradiance DescriptorsEmission of radiation from the sun contributes to the solar spectrum as observed from Earth. Just above the Earth's atmosphere, the radiation intensity, or Solar Constant, is about 1.353 kW/m 2 [6,7] and the spectral distribution is referred to as an air mass zero (AM0) radiation spectrum. The Air Mass is a measure of how absorption in the atmosphere affects the spectral content and intensity of the solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface. The Air Mass number is given by (1) where is the angle of incidence ( when the sun is directly overhead). Moreover, the outdoor solar spectrum distribution changes during a day because of the aerosol and water vapour. Hence, it is rare to fit the standard solar spectrum (Fig.1 Therefore, a new parameter, angle of incidence is defined to explain the position of solar rays on the plane [10]. is a measure of deviation of something from "straight on". A surface directly facing the sun has an of zero, and a surface parallel to the sun (such as a sunrise striking a horizontal plane) has an of 90°. Sunlight with an inc...

Muğla Bölgesi̇ İçi̇n Aylik Toplam Güneş Işinim Mi̇ktarinin Hesaplanmasi

“…So calculating the PV performance one of the methods is using the annual real output values of the PV system. Materials used in solar cells are very important in converting the solar irradiance to electricity and materials spectral response due to wavelength is very important at this point [1]. There are several PV systems installed in Muğla province (exceeding 20MWp installed power) and most them are crystalline silicon based solar cells which responses the wavelength under 1.1 or 1.2 µm.…”

“…Just above the Earth's atmosphere The Solar Constant is the average value of solar irradiance outside the earth's atmosphere and about 1357 W/m 2 [1]. Air mass is an effect of the distribution of sunlight within the atmosphere.…”

Dependence of PV Module Temperature on Incident Time-Dependent Solar Spectrum

“…The impact of solar spectral irradiance on the yield of different technologies was studied for four locations in [20]. The study in [22] states that the spectrum has little effect for low gap materials between seasons, for clear skies, but not for large band gap materials. Figure 1 presents the external quantum efficiency of four module technologies, for which the present study calculates the operating temperature.…”

Calculating the Energy Yield of Si-Based Solar Cells for Belgium and Vietnam Regions at Arbitrary Tilt and Orientation under Actual Weather Conditions

“…This effect also depends on the technology as well as material which decides the sensitivity of the PV devices [9]. The variations in incident irradiation and solar spectral content have a higher effect on multi-junction and high-bandgap devices compared with single-junction and low-bandgap devices [10][11][12]. Theoretical and experimental studies have illustrated that the actual harvesting efficiency, which is usually lower than the efficiency under standard test conditions, varies during the year and the drop in harvesting efficiency can be attributed to irradiance and temperature as major loss channels [12,13].…”