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Performance assessment of five different photovoltaic module technologies under outdoor conditions in Algeria
Accepted Manuscript Performance assessment of five different photovoltaic module technologies under outdoor conditions in Algeria
Amira Balaska, Ali Tahri, Fatima Tahri, Amine Boudghene Stambouli PII:
S0960-1481(17)30067-8
DOI:
10.1016/j.renene.2017.01.057
Reference:
RENE 8496
To appear in:
Renewable Energy
Received Date:
25 November 2016
Revised Date:
04 December 2016
Accepted Date:
24 January 2017
Please cite this article as: Amira Balaska, Ali Tahri, Fatima Tahri, Amine Boudghene Stambouli, Performance assessment of five different photovoltaic module technologies under outdoor conditions in Algeria, Renewable Energy (2017), doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2017.01.057
This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
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Highlights
The study is focused on the performance assessment of five different kind of photovoltaic (PV) module technologies including thin film technology and a meteorological station, installed at the city of Saida, in Algeria. The PV modules are three thin film modules: copper indium selenide (CIS), monocrystalline heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) and tandem structure of amorphous silicon and microcrystalline silicon (a-Si_μc-Si) with two crystalline silicon modules: multi-crystalline and mono-crystalline back contact. The assessment is based on the performance parameters, which are calculated according to IEC standard 61724.
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Performance assessment of five different photovoltaic module technologies under outdoor conditions in Algeria
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Amira Balaska1, Ali Tahri1, Fatima Tahri2, Amine Boudghene Stambouli1
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1Electrical
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Abstract
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The aim of this paper is to establish a performance assessment of different kinds of photovoltaic (PV) module technologies installed in the city of Saida in Algeria. The modules are three thin film modules: copper indium selenide (CIS), mono-crystalline heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) and tandem structure of amorphous silicon and microcrystalline silicon (a-Si_μcSi) with two crystalline silicon modules: multi-crystalline and mono-crystalline back contact. The modules were characterised by measuring their I-V characteristics under the same outdoor conditions. Moreover, measurements of various meteorological parameters such as irradiance, temperature and humidity, using the weather station, were also performed. The monthly average daily performance parameters as performance ratio, energy yield and efficiency are given and analysed. It was found that the HIT and the a-Si_μc-Si performed much better than the other technologies. The annual average daily performance ratios of a-Si_μc-Si module was found to be about 1.55% higher compared to HIT module and 2.04 % compared to CIS. The HIT module produce an annual average daily energy of 1.15 kWh more than double what the a-Si_μc-Si produce and an annual average daily efficiency more than double of the efficiency of a-Si_μcSi.
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Keywords: Performance assessment, outdoor conditions, I-V curve, thin film photovoltaic module.
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Engineering Faculty of the University of Science and technology of Oran, Mohamed Boudiaf USTOMB, Algeria, BP 1505 El M’naouer, Oran 31000 Algeria. Tel&Fax: +213 41 627163 [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] 2Faculty of Technology University of Moulay Taher, Saida, Algeria, Bp 138, Saïda 20000, Algeria [email protected]
1. Introduction The Thin film market is currently expanding at an unprecedented rate and has attracted enormous attention from solar power companies and investors as they seek alternatives to traditional polycrystalline technologies. With its lower costs and flexibility, thin film looks set to revolutionise the future of solar power. Moreover, thin film PV is a particularly attractive technology for building integration. The mass production cost of silicon based thin film solar cells is lower compared to conventional solar cells based upon the same material. The report of Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy system, in 2014, said that the market share of all thin film technologies adds to around 9% of the total annual production [1]. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the cost reductions of thin film modules is expected to decline in half and more for some technologies by 2015[2]. The increase of production and deployment of thin film PV technologies push the researchers, around the world, to establish a good knowledge about their behaviour under different meteorological parameters [3-5]. In the past decade, many studies were done using mono and multi-crystalline silicon for which more results are available [6]. 1
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A series of characteristic parameters of PV modules after being calculated in indoor under standard test conditions (STC), usually are provided by manufacturers. In outdoor the parameters change and depend on climate conditions and the location [7-9]. It is important to establish the quantity of PV energy modules will produce under real meteorological parameters and specific location. Cornaro et al. [10] have analysed the performance of two PV module technologies in Rome. They observed a seasonal trend of performance ratio for the multicrystalline module mainly due to temperature influences and a degradation trend for the first months in the case of a double junction amorphous module. In Cyprus, Phinikarides et al. [11] have conducted a study of 12 grid-connected PV systems, based on mono-crystalline silicon (mono-c-Si), multi-crystalline silicon (multi-c-Si), Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin layer (HIT), a-Si, CdTe and CIGS. They found that the mono-c-Si and multi-c-Si technologies exhibited higher seasonal variations, with higher average standard deviation compared to thin film technologies. In India, Sharma et al. [12] made an assessment of different solar PV module technologies. The results indicate that the amorphous single junction silicon (a-Si) module has performed better than the multi-crystalline silicon (mc-Si) module during the summer period and under performed during the winter period. However, the HIT module has performed better than mc-Si module throughout the year. Marion et al. [13] studied the performance of different module technologies in diverse locations in the USA. They found that a-Si_μc-Si and (CdTe) modules perform better than the other module technologies in Cocoa and Eugene locations. Cañete et al. [14] have done an energy performance evaluation of different PV module technologies including thin film in the south of Spain. Their study showed that CdTe and mcSi modules present better performance during the winter, and a-Si and a-Si/µc modules perform better in summer. Torres-Ramirez et al. [15] have used the Osterwald’s and constant fill factor methods to model the outdoor behaviour of thin film modules. Başoğlu et al [16] have compared the energy performance of three different PV module technologies under Izmit, Kocaeli climatic conditions in Turkey. The module technologies are mc-Si, c-Si and CdTe. They found that CdTe modules can be accepted as more reliable technology under Izmit climatic condition. Bianchini et al. [17] have made a performance analysis and economic assessment of eight different PV grid connected plants in Forlì (Italy). They found that the plants with HIT, a-Si_μcSi and multi-crystalline module technologies with solar tracking system are the most profitable technologies and achieved a grid parity in residential and industrial applications. Abdallah et al. [18] have studied the performance of silicon heterojunction and conventional diffused junction n-type mono-crystalline silicon PV modules under the hot desert climate in Qatar. They concluded that the heterojunction module technology performs much better than the conventional technology. Visa et al. [19] have analysed the performance of five different PV modules which are monocrystalline, multi-crystalline silicon, CdTe, CIS and CIGS, in mountain climate in Romania. Their study shows that mc-Si, m-Si and CIGS perform much better in such climate with cold, snowy winters and with sunny summers. This paper presents a comparative assessment and analysis of five different PV technologies under the same outdoor conditions in order to find which PV technology performs more better in such climate condition. The paper is organised as follows: Section 2 gives a description of the materials and methods used. Section 3 presents the mathematical calculation of the PV modules performance parameters as recommended by IEC Standard [20]. The results and discussion are presented in Section 4. First, the meteorological conditions during the modules test period are extensively analysed to understand the behaviour of each module technology. The results in terms of performance parameters of each module are then presented and discussed. Finally, the most important conclusions are summarised in Section 5.
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Table 1: Main characteristics of the different PV module technologies Module technology
mc-Si
CIS
HIT
m-SI (B-C)
a-Si_μc-Si
Maximum Power 𝑃𝑀 (W) Short Circuit Current 𝐼𝑆𝐶(A) Open circuit Voltage𝑉𝑂𝐶(V) Isc temperature coefficient (%/°C) Voc temperature coefficient (%/°C) PM temperature coefficient (%/°C) Efficiency (%) Area (m2) Weight (KG)
165 8.53 26 0.036 -0.33 -0.47 14.27 1.15 13.6
150 2.2 108 0.01 -0.30 -0.31 13 1.23 20.0
233 5.84 51.6 0.03 -0.24 -0.30 18.6 1.28 15.0
208.5 8.94 30.6 0.059 -0.19 -0.38 15.4 1.30 17.0
110 2.5 71 0.056 -0.39 -0.35 9 1.25 18.3
2. Materials and methods Five different PV module technologies were installed at the University of Saida in Algeria. The main characteristics of each PV module technology are given in Table 1. The PV modules were mounted on fixed physical support on the ground, faced to south with a tilt angle of 30° as shown in figure 1. Saida city is located between the north and the south of Algeria with the following geographical coordinates (868 m) altitude, (34° 49' 60''north) of latitude and (0° 9'east) of longitude. The PV modules are connected to an I-V curve system based on capacitor load technique, this technique was used in previous work [21-25]; it allows performing of I-V curve measurements and data visualization. The I-V curves are obtained from multiple measurements during each day, at different weather conditions.
Figure 1. PV modules mounted on physical fixed support.
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In each 10 sec, the I-V curve measurement system connects one module to perform its characteristic. Totally in 50 sec, the five modules measurements are performed. For the next measurement, the system is sampled to wait for 10 minutes. This methodology of regularly obtaining I-V curve measurement of the modules has been used by many research groups for evaluating the performance of PV modules. Cueto et al. [26], Adiyabat et al. [27], Tsuno et al. [28] and Peng et al. [29], have used the I-V curves characterisation in outdoor with meteorological parameters. The performance of solar PV modules is highly dependent on meteorological conditions. In that, a weather station was installed, nearby the I-V curve acquisition system, in order to measure the meteorological parameters such as irradiance, ambient temperature, relative humidity, and speed and direction of wind. Irradiance was measured using HukseFlux SR20 Pyranometer, the ambient temperature and humidity were sensed by Vaisala HMP155 and the wind speed by Young 05106 sensor. The weather station is shown in figure 2.
Figure 2. Weather station.
The temperature of each module was sensed using T type thermocouple cables attached to the back surface of the module. The I-V curves were checked and the major electrical parameters of PV modules were extracted and time series including these parameters were created and synchronized to the time series of meteorological parameters. The obtained complete time series were used to analyse the performance of the five PV module technologies.
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3. Theory and calculation In order to analyse the performance of PV modules, daily performance parameters are calculated. Performance ratio, yield, reference yield, efficiency and energy production were calculated for each technology as recommended in IEC61724 Standard [20]. These performance parameters have been used by many research groups to identify the behaviour of PV modules [30, 31]. The electrical parameters such as the maximum power values were extracted from all measured I-V curves and a time series with these values and meteorological data are created for each module. For each day, the energy produced by each module is calculated as follows: (1) E Pmea Where E is expressed in kWh; Pmea is the measured maximum power in kW; is the recording interval. The yield represents the number of hours per day; in which the module would need to operate at its rated power[20]. Its unit, is kWh/kWp or hours:
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E PMSTC
(2)
Where PMSTC is the measured maximum power under standard test conditions STC. Other very important parameter is the reference yield, which represents the number of hours per day; during which the solar radiation would need to be at reference irradiance levels in order to contribute the same incident energy as was monitored[20]. Gmeas Yr (3) GSTC
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Yr is expressed in hours; Gmeas is the measured in plane irradiation in kW/m2;
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GSTC is the irradiation at STC (1kW/m2).
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The performance ratio is given by the following equation:
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PR(%)
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Y .100 Yr
(4)
As defined in IEC61724, the performance ratio indicates the overall effect of losses on the PV system’s rated output due to array temperature, incomplete utilisation of the irradiation, and system component inefficiencies or failures. 4. Results and discussion Before explaining the results obtained by analysing the performance of PV modules, it is more suitable to analyse the weather parameters recorded during the test period in Saida. 5
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Figure 3 shows the irradiance observed during the monitoring period. Some days are sunny and others are cloudy. Four months were selected to depict the recorded irradiance as shown in Figure 4. The irradiance observed in May is more significant in peak values and the duration of sun hours, compared to the others months. In order to illustrate clearly the irradiation conditions for the PV modules, the daily in plane irradiation received on PV modules during the year 2014 is depicted in figure 5. The maximum value was recorded in May as 8.21 kWh/m2. Figure 6 shows the daily average ambient temperature recorded during sun hours for the test period. The maximum value was 37.07 °C in August. The daily in plane irradiation versus daily average ambient temperature is shown in Figure 7. The major irradiation occurs around daily average temperature 25 °C and 30 °C. Figure 8 shows the distribution of daily in plane irradiation versus daily average ambient temperature. It can be observed that 48.3% of irradiation received by the modules took place between 22.5 °C and 32.5 °C and just 5.24 % of irradiation is between 32.5 °C and 37.5 °C.
Figure 3. In plane irradiance observed during the test period received on PV modules.
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Figure 4. In plane irradiance recorded in January, May, August and December.
Figure 5. Daily in plane irradiation received on PV modules.
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Figure 6. Daily average ambient temperature per day.
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Figure 7. Daily in plane irradiation versus daily average ambient temperature.
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Figure 8. Distribution of daily in plane irradiation versus daily average ambient temperature.
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To carry out more analysis on the weather parameters, the monthly and annual daily maximum, average and standard deviation values of the main parameters were calculated during sun hours as given in Table 2 The monthly daily average irradiation on module plane varies from 3.26 kWh/m2 in November to 7.17 kWh/m2 in May, with maximum value of 8.21 kWh/m2 recorded in May. During the test period, the received annual daily average irradiation by the modules is 5.37 kWh/m2. The module temperature is a crucial parameter in the study of the performance behaviour and it has a close correlation with irradiation and ambient temperature. The monthly daily average ambient temperature varies from 10.51 °C in December to 31.50 °C in August and with annual average value 20.54 °C. The maximum ambient temperature value is 37.07 °C, which was observed in August. The monthly daily average relative humidity during sun hours varies from 27.36 % in August to 63.11 % in December with annual daily average value of 44.99 % and the maximum value is 90.03 % recorded in March. The monthly daily average wind speed during sun hours ranges from 0.001 m/s in August to 1.93 m/s in February. The annual daily average and maximum wind speed values was found to be 1.27 m/s and 4.58 m/s respectively. It can be seen that the August month is the more stable with low standard deviation for all meteorological parameters and high ambient temperature, low relative humidity and low wind speed but the high monthly daily irradiation is recorded during May.
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Table 2 : Monthly and annual daily maximum, average and standard deviation values of the meteorological parameters Irradiation (kWh/m2) Max Mean STD Jan-14 5.87 3.35 1.63 Feb-14 7.09 4.36 1.99 Mar-14 7.75 5.49 2.19 Apr-14 8.11 6.79 1.41 May-14 8.21 7.17 1.11 Jun-14 7.89 6.78 1.45 7.56 6.67 1.14 Jul-14 Aug-14 7.34 6.40 0.89 Sep-14 7.07 4.98 1.85 Oct-14 7.11 5.62 1.58 Nov-14 6.41 3.26 1.67 Dec-14 6.56 3.63 1.54 Annual
8.21
5.37
Ambient temp. (°C) Max Mean STD 17.40 11.17 2.95 19.44 12.80 3.75 18.91 13.48 2.94 25.33 20.56 3.70 30.40 23.00 3.24 34.04 26.06 4.47 36.28 29.98 2.94 37.07 31.50 2.06 33.17 27.57 3.31 28.93 23.36 3.24 21.80 15.97 3.47 16.48 10.51 2.49
Rel. Humidity (%) Max Mean STD 81.41 59.16 15.59 88.77 57.70 17.61 90.03 54.31 15.42 67.90 38.99 11.91 67.41 37.11 12.34 84.17 36.24 15.97 46.09 28.89 8.00 45.97 27.36 6.75 70.68 39.08 13.32 77.81 38.97 14.63 83.14 59.00 16.20 86.61 63.11 11.97
Max 4.36 4.01 3.91 4.58 2.31 2.92 1.95 0.03 2.06 2.16 3.60 3.11
1.54 37.07 20.54 3.21
90.03 44.99 13.31
4.58
Wind speed (m/s) Mean STD 1.74 0.85 1.93 0.54 1.79 0.82 1.68 0.78 1.51 0.32 1.55 0.41 0.96 0.60 0.001 0.0053 0.80 0.48 0.94 0.53 1.20 0.94 1.13 0.77 1.27
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Data from January 2014 to December 2014 were used for the purpose of finding the performance parameters analysis of the five PV module technologies. Figure 9 shows the monthly average daily performance ratio of each technology.
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The monthly average daily performance ratios of the new technologies of PV modules are higher compared to those of mc-Si and m-Si (B-C) during the twelve months. Note that the 10
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module (CIS), HIT and a-Si_μc-Si have the highest performance ratios than all other modules during the month of January 2014. However, during the months of February to November 2014, the a-Si_μc-Si module technology recorded the highest performance ratio than the other technologies with maximum value 99.86%. In August the a-Si_μc-Si module has a performance ratio of 3.20 % which is much better than the HIT and 3.26 % than the CIS in September. The HIT module has the highest performance ratio during the month of December 2014 with a value of 98.38%.
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It can be observed that a seasonal trend of the modules monthly average daily performance ratio is different from technology to another. This seasonal trend in performance has been reported by Nikolaeva-Dimitrova et al. [32] and Phinikarides et al. [11]. The modules of a-Si_μc-Si and HIT show higher monthly average daily performance ratios for the spring, summer and autumn. The monthly average daily performance ratios of a-Si_μc-Si module is found to be about 1.45% to 3.21% higher as compared to HIT module. The CIS module performs better in winter compared to the others module technologies.
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Figure 9. Monthly average daily performance ratio of each PV module technology.
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Figure 10 shows the monthly average daily yield of each technology and the monthly average daily reference yield. The monthly average daily reference yield is low in November with 3.26 hours and higher in May with 7.18 hours. The values of monthly average daily yield follow the same trend as performance ratio, in May, the a-Si_μc-Si reaches 6.74 kWh/kWp and HIT 6.59 kWh/kWp.
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Figure 10. Monthly average daily yield of each PV module technology and reference yield.
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Figure 11 shows the monthly average daily energy efficiency of each technology during the test period.
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Figure 11. Monthly average daily energy efficiency of each PV module technology.
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The HIT technology has the highest monthly average daily efficiency in January with a value of 18.22% and low value of 15.80% in August. The a-Si_μc-Si has the lowest efficiency with the highest value of 8.89% in January and lowest value of 7.90% in August. It can be noted that energy efficiency in outdoor does not remain as in indoor values provided by manufacturer under STC conditions. The highest value of the ambient temperature was recorded in the month of August that is the reason of all modules having a lowest efficiency in this month. The decrease in energy efficiency is particularly due to the increase in module temperature, which increases the temperature losses. The monthly maximum daily modules temperatures are shown in figure 12.
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Figure 12. Monthly daily maximum modules temperature for each PV module technology.
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The lowest monthly maximum module temperature is recorded in January for all technologies and the highest one in August which is the month with highest average ambient temperature that can reach 31.50 °C. Values of 37.06 °C and 26.64 °C are presented as a maximum and minimum for August, as shown in figure 13. The a-Si_μc-Si module have the lowest monthly maximum daily temperature in January with value of 38.80 °C and the highest value of 68.54 °C in August. This technology has the lowest module temperature during all the year but has low energy efficiency. The CIS has the highest module temperature during all the year with maximum value of 77.19 °C in August.
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Figure 13. Monthly daily ambient temperature.
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In figure 14, the average daily efficiency of each PV modules as function of daily irradiation is depicted. All modules show high daily efficiency for low irradiation. There is a correlation between irradiation and module temperature in that when the irradiation increases the temperature of the module increases too at the same time resulting in increased temperature losses. For high irradiation, the a-Si_μc-Si module efficiency is independent on daily irradiation practically over 5000 Wh/m2. This independency of a-Si_μc-Si module efficiency was also reported by Cañete et al. [14].
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Figure 14. Daily energy efficiency of each PV module technology function of daily irradiation.
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Figure 15 shows the daily efficiency of each module technology as a function of daily average module temperature. It can be seen that the a-Si_μc-Si technology shows a lower dependency with module temperature than the other technologies. The a-Si_μc-Si technology responds better to higher temperature than CIS and HIT.
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Figure 15. Daily energy efficiency of each PV module technology function of average daily modules temperature.
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Figure 16 shows the monthly daily average energy production of each module. It can be noticed that the low energy production of the modules is during winter period and a high energy production observed in May 2014 with value 1.53 kWh with HIT technology, this is mainly due to the higher value of peak sun hours observed during this month.
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Figure 16. Monthly average daily energy production for each PV module technology.
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Table 3 summarises the annual average daily values for performance ratio, yield, energy production and efficiency with their respective standard deviations. The modules of HIT and aSi_μc-Si show higher average daily performance ratios throughout the year. The annual average daily performance ratios of a-Si_μc-Si module is found to be about 1.55% higher compared to HIT module and 2.04 % compared to CIS. The thin film modules produce an annual average daily yield around 5 kWh/kWp but the mc-Si module produce 4.63 kWh/kWp and (m-Si (BC)) 4.82 kWh/kWp. The HIT module produces an annual average daily energy of 1.15 kWh which is more than a double of what produce the a-Si_μc-Si. In order to produce the same energy as produced with HIT module, more than double space is then needed using a-Si_μc-Si module. The annual average daily efficiency of HIT is also more than double of the efficiency of a-Si_μc-Si.
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Table 3 : Annual average daily values for performance ratio, yield, energy production and efficiency with their respective standard deviations, for each module technology. Module technology mc-Si CIS HIT m-Si (B-C) a-Si_μc-Si
Daily PR (%) Mean 88.59 93.29 93.74 91.63 95.19
STD 4.75 4.36 3.96 4.61 3.22
Daily yield (kWh/kWp) Mean STD 4.63 1.06 4.89 1.14 4.94 1.17 4.82 1.12 5.00 1.23 17
Daily energy production (kWh) Mean STD 0.76 0.18 0.73 0.17 1.15 0.27 1.00 0.23 0.55 0.14
Daily (%) Mean 12.63 11.41 17.02 14.63 8.38
efficiency STD 1.04 0.92 1.13 1.05 0.64
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5. Conclusion
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A performance assessment of five different PV module technologies, multi-crystalline (mc-Si), copper indium selenide (CIS), mono-crystalline heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT), mono-crystalline back contact (m-Si (B-C)) and tandem structure of amorphous silicon and microcrystalline silicon (a-Si_μc-Si), under the same outdoor conditions has been done for the first year operation at Saida in Algeria. The purpose of the monitoring campaign is to understand the behaviour of the real operation of the modules in outdoor conditions. In this study, the performance parameters for each PV module technology were calculated according to IEC 61724. First, the modules were connected to a data acquisition system; it allows us to perform I-V curve from multiple measurements during a single day, in different meteorological conditions. From I-V curves, the electrical parameter values of each module were extracted and synchronised to the meteorological parameters. In the location of Saida, the modules were exposed to a daily average irradiation of 5.37 kWh/m2 with an average ambient temperature during the sun hours of 20.54 °C, relative humidity of 44.99 % and average wind speed of 1.27 m/s.
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Under these outdoor conditions, the HIT and the a-Si_μc-Si performed much better than the other technologies. The thin film modules show higher average daily performance ratios throughout the year. The annual average daily performance ratios of a-Si_μc-Si module is found to be about 1.55% higher compared to HIT module and 2.04 % compared to CIS. The thin film modules produce an annual average daily yield around 5 kWh/kWp but the mc-Si module produce 4.63 kWh/kWp and (m-Si (B-C)) 4.82 kWh/kWp.
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The HIT module produce an annual average daily energy of 1.15 kWh more than double what the a-Si_μc-Si produce and an annual average daily efficiency more than double of the efficiency of a-Si_μc-Si. To produce the same energy than with HIT module more than double space is needed with a-Si_μc-Si module.
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The variability in the daily efficiency of all modules observed during the test period mainly depends on the daily in plane irradiance received on modules and the module temperature. This variability can be explained by the difference of the module temperature of each technology even working under the same conditions.
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The next work will be concentrated on the estimation of the performance degradation rate of each technology.
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Acknowledgment The authors would like to acknowledge the support from Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). Authors would like to acknowledge their support for this project.
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Amira Balaska, Ali Tahri, Fatima Tahri, Amine Boudghene Stambouli PII:
S0960-1481(17)30067-8
DOI:
10.1016/j.renene.2017.01.057
Reference:
RENE 8496
To appear in:
Renewable Energy
Received Date:
25 November 2016
Revised Date:
04 December 2016
Accepted Date:
24 January 2017
Please cite this article as: Amira Balaska, Ali Tahri, Fatima Tahri, Amine Boudghene Stambouli, Performance assessment of five different photovoltaic module technologies under outdoor conditions in Algeria, Renewable Energy (2017), doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2017.01.057
This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
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Highlights
The study is focused on the performance assessment of five different kind of photovoltaic (PV) module technologies including thin film technology and a meteorological station, installed at the city of Saida, in Algeria. The PV modules are three thin film modules: copper indium selenide (CIS), monocrystalline heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) and tandem structure of amorphous silicon and microcrystalline silicon (a-Si_μc-Si) with two crystalline silicon modules: multi-crystalline and mono-crystalline back contact. The assessment is based on the performance parameters, which are calculated according to IEC standard 61724.
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Performance assessment of five different photovoltaic module technologies under outdoor conditions in Algeria
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Amira Balaska1, Ali Tahri1, Fatima Tahri2, Amine Boudghene Stambouli1
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1Electrical
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Abstract
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The aim of this paper is to establish a performance assessment of different kinds of photovoltaic (PV) module technologies installed in the city of Saida in Algeria. The modules are three thin film modules: copper indium selenide (CIS), mono-crystalline heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) and tandem structure of amorphous silicon and microcrystalline silicon (a-Si_μcSi) with two crystalline silicon modules: multi-crystalline and mono-crystalline back contact. The modules were characterised by measuring their I-V characteristics under the same outdoor conditions. Moreover, measurements of various meteorological parameters such as irradiance, temperature and humidity, using the weather station, were also performed. The monthly average daily performance parameters as performance ratio, energy yield and efficiency are given and analysed. It was found that the HIT and the a-Si_μc-Si performed much better than the other technologies. The annual average daily performance ratios of a-Si_μc-Si module was found to be about 1.55% higher compared to HIT module and 2.04 % compared to CIS. The HIT module produce an annual average daily energy of 1.15 kWh more than double what the a-Si_μc-Si produce and an annual average daily efficiency more than double of the efficiency of a-Si_μcSi.
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Keywords: Performance assessment, outdoor conditions, I-V curve, thin film photovoltaic module.
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Engineering Faculty of the University of Science and technology of Oran, Mohamed Boudiaf USTOMB, Algeria, BP 1505 El M’naouer, Oran 31000 Algeria. Tel&Fax: +213 41 627163 [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] 2Faculty of Technology University of Moulay Taher, Saida, Algeria, Bp 138, Saïda 20000, Algeria [email protected]
1. Introduction The Thin film market is currently expanding at an unprecedented rate and has attracted enormous attention from solar power companies and investors as they seek alternatives to traditional polycrystalline technologies. With its lower costs and flexibility, thin film looks set to revolutionise the future of solar power. Moreover, thin film PV is a particularly attractive technology for building integration. The mass production cost of silicon based thin film solar cells is lower compared to conventional solar cells based upon the same material. The report of Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy system, in 2014, said that the market share of all thin film technologies adds to around 9% of the total annual production [1]. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the cost reductions of thin film modules is expected to decline in half and more for some technologies by 2015[2]. The increase of production and deployment of thin film PV technologies push the researchers, around the world, to establish a good knowledge about their behaviour under different meteorological parameters [3-5]. In the past decade, many studies were done using mono and multi-crystalline silicon for which more results are available [6]. 1
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A series of characteristic parameters of PV modules after being calculated in indoor under standard test conditions (STC), usually are provided by manufacturers. In outdoor the parameters change and depend on climate conditions and the location [7-9]. It is important to establish the quantity of PV energy modules will produce under real meteorological parameters and specific location. Cornaro et al. [10] have analysed the performance of two PV module technologies in Rome. They observed a seasonal trend of performance ratio for the multicrystalline module mainly due to temperature influences and a degradation trend for the first months in the case of a double junction amorphous module. In Cyprus, Phinikarides et al. [11] have conducted a study of 12 grid-connected PV systems, based on mono-crystalline silicon (mono-c-Si), multi-crystalline silicon (multi-c-Si), Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin layer (HIT), a-Si, CdTe and CIGS. They found that the mono-c-Si and multi-c-Si technologies exhibited higher seasonal variations, with higher average standard deviation compared to thin film technologies. In India, Sharma et al. [12] made an assessment of different solar PV module technologies. The results indicate that the amorphous single junction silicon (a-Si) module has performed better than the multi-crystalline silicon (mc-Si) module during the summer period and under performed during the winter period. However, the HIT module has performed better than mc-Si module throughout the year. Marion et al. [13] studied the performance of different module technologies in diverse locations in the USA. They found that a-Si_μc-Si and (CdTe) modules perform better than the other module technologies in Cocoa and Eugene locations. Cañete et al. [14] have done an energy performance evaluation of different PV module technologies including thin film in the south of Spain. Their study showed that CdTe and mcSi modules present better performance during the winter, and a-Si and a-Si/µc modules perform better in summer. Torres-Ramirez et al. [15] have used the Osterwald’s and constant fill factor methods to model the outdoor behaviour of thin film modules. Başoğlu et al [16] have compared the energy performance of three different PV module technologies under Izmit, Kocaeli climatic conditions in Turkey. The module technologies are mc-Si, c-Si and CdTe. They found that CdTe modules can be accepted as more reliable technology under Izmit climatic condition. Bianchini et al. [17] have made a performance analysis and economic assessment of eight different PV grid connected plants in Forlì (Italy). They found that the plants with HIT, a-Si_μcSi and multi-crystalline module technologies with solar tracking system are the most profitable technologies and achieved a grid parity in residential and industrial applications. Abdallah et al. [18] have studied the performance of silicon heterojunction and conventional diffused junction n-type mono-crystalline silicon PV modules under the hot desert climate in Qatar. They concluded that the heterojunction module technology performs much better than the conventional technology. Visa et al. [19] have analysed the performance of five different PV modules which are monocrystalline, multi-crystalline silicon, CdTe, CIS and CIGS, in mountain climate in Romania. Their study shows that mc-Si, m-Si and CIGS perform much better in such climate with cold, snowy winters and with sunny summers. This paper presents a comparative assessment and analysis of five different PV technologies under the same outdoor conditions in order to find which PV technology performs more better in such climate condition. The paper is organised as follows: Section 2 gives a description of the materials and methods used. Section 3 presents the mathematical calculation of the PV modules performance parameters as recommended by IEC Standard [20]. The results and discussion are presented in Section 4. First, the meteorological conditions during the modules test period are extensively analysed to understand the behaviour of each module technology. The results in terms of performance parameters of each module are then presented and discussed. Finally, the most important conclusions are summarised in Section 5.
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Table 1: Main characteristics of the different PV module technologies Module technology
mc-Si
CIS
HIT
m-SI (B-C)
a-Si_μc-Si
Maximum Power 𝑃𝑀 (W) Short Circuit Current 𝐼𝑆𝐶(A) Open circuit Voltage𝑉𝑂𝐶(V) Isc temperature coefficient (%/°C) Voc temperature coefficient (%/°C) PM temperature coefficient (%/°C) Efficiency (%) Area (m2) Weight (KG)
165 8.53 26 0.036 -0.33 -0.47 14.27 1.15 13.6
150 2.2 108 0.01 -0.30 -0.31 13 1.23 20.0
233 5.84 51.6 0.03 -0.24 -0.30 18.6 1.28 15.0
208.5 8.94 30.6 0.059 -0.19 -0.38 15.4 1.30 17.0
110 2.5 71 0.056 -0.39 -0.35 9 1.25 18.3
2. Materials and methods Five different PV module technologies were installed at the University of Saida in Algeria. The main characteristics of each PV module technology are given in Table 1. The PV modules were mounted on fixed physical support on the ground, faced to south with a tilt angle of 30° as shown in figure 1. Saida city is located between the north and the south of Algeria with the following geographical coordinates (868 m) altitude, (34° 49' 60''north) of latitude and (0° 9'east) of longitude. The PV modules are connected to an I-V curve system based on capacitor load technique, this technique was used in previous work [21-25]; it allows performing of I-V curve measurements and data visualization. The I-V curves are obtained from multiple measurements during each day, at different weather conditions.
Figure 1. PV modules mounted on physical fixed support.
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In each 10 sec, the I-V curve measurement system connects one module to perform its characteristic. Totally in 50 sec, the five modules measurements are performed. For the next measurement, the system is sampled to wait for 10 minutes. This methodology of regularly obtaining I-V curve measurement of the modules has been used by many research groups for evaluating the performance of PV modules. Cueto et al. [26], Adiyabat et al. [27], Tsuno et al. [28] and Peng et al. [29], have used the I-V curves characterisation in outdoor with meteorological parameters. The performance of solar PV modules is highly dependent on meteorological conditions. In that, a weather station was installed, nearby the I-V curve acquisition system, in order to measure the meteorological parameters such as irradiance, ambient temperature, relative humidity, and speed and direction of wind. Irradiance was measured using HukseFlux SR20 Pyranometer, the ambient temperature and humidity were sensed by Vaisala HMP155 and the wind speed by Young 05106 sensor. The weather station is shown in figure 2.
Figure 2. Weather station.
The temperature of each module was sensed using T type thermocouple cables attached to the back surface of the module. The I-V curves were checked and the major electrical parameters of PV modules were extracted and time series including these parameters were created and synchronized to the time series of meteorological parameters. The obtained complete time series were used to analyse the performance of the five PV module technologies.
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3. Theory and calculation In order to analyse the performance of PV modules, daily performance parameters are calculated. Performance ratio, yield, reference yield, efficiency and energy production were calculated for each technology as recommended in IEC61724 Standard [20]. These performance parameters have been used by many research groups to identify the behaviour of PV modules [30, 31]. The electrical parameters such as the maximum power values were extracted from all measured I-V curves and a time series with these values and meteorological data are created for each module. For each day, the energy produced by each module is calculated as follows: (1) E Pmea Where E is expressed in kWh; Pmea is the measured maximum power in kW; is the recording interval. The yield represents the number of hours per day; in which the module would need to operate at its rated power[20]. Its unit, is kWh/kWp or hours:
Y
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E PMSTC
(2)
Where PMSTC is the measured maximum power under standard test conditions STC. Other very important parameter is the reference yield, which represents the number of hours per day; during which the solar radiation would need to be at reference irradiance levels in order to contribute the same incident energy as was monitored[20]. Gmeas Yr (3) GSTC
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Yr is expressed in hours; Gmeas is the measured in plane irradiation in kW/m2;
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GSTC is the irradiation at STC (1kW/m2).
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The performance ratio is given by the following equation:
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PR(%)
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Y .100 Yr
(4)
As defined in IEC61724, the performance ratio indicates the overall effect of losses on the PV system’s rated output due to array temperature, incomplete utilisation of the irradiation, and system component inefficiencies or failures. 4. Results and discussion Before explaining the results obtained by analysing the performance of PV modules, it is more suitable to analyse the weather parameters recorded during the test period in Saida. 5
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Figure 3 shows the irradiance observed during the monitoring period. Some days are sunny and others are cloudy. Four months were selected to depict the recorded irradiance as shown in Figure 4. The irradiance observed in May is more significant in peak values and the duration of sun hours, compared to the others months. In order to illustrate clearly the irradiation conditions for the PV modules, the daily in plane irradiation received on PV modules during the year 2014 is depicted in figure 5. The maximum value was recorded in May as 8.21 kWh/m2. Figure 6 shows the daily average ambient temperature recorded during sun hours for the test period. The maximum value was 37.07 °C in August. The daily in plane irradiation versus daily average ambient temperature is shown in Figure 7. The major irradiation occurs around daily average temperature 25 °C and 30 °C. Figure 8 shows the distribution of daily in plane irradiation versus daily average ambient temperature. It can be observed that 48.3% of irradiation received by the modules took place between 22.5 °C and 32.5 °C and just 5.24 % of irradiation is between 32.5 °C and 37.5 °C.
Figure 3. In plane irradiance observed during the test period received on PV modules.
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Figure 4. In plane irradiance recorded in January, May, August and December.
Figure 5. Daily in plane irradiation received on PV modules.
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Figure 6. Daily average ambient temperature per day.
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Figure 7. Daily in plane irradiation versus daily average ambient temperature.
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Figure 8. Distribution of daily in plane irradiation versus daily average ambient temperature.
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To carry out more analysis on the weather parameters, the monthly and annual daily maximum, average and standard deviation values of the main parameters were calculated during sun hours as given in Table 2 The monthly daily average irradiation on module plane varies from 3.26 kWh/m2 in November to 7.17 kWh/m2 in May, with maximum value of 8.21 kWh/m2 recorded in May. During the test period, the received annual daily average irradiation by the modules is 5.37 kWh/m2. The module temperature is a crucial parameter in the study of the performance behaviour and it has a close correlation with irradiation and ambient temperature. The monthly daily average ambient temperature varies from 10.51 °C in December to 31.50 °C in August and with annual average value 20.54 °C. The maximum ambient temperature value is 37.07 °C, which was observed in August. The monthly daily average relative humidity during sun hours varies from 27.36 % in August to 63.11 % in December with annual daily average value of 44.99 % and the maximum value is 90.03 % recorded in March. The monthly daily average wind speed during sun hours ranges from 0.001 m/s in August to 1.93 m/s in February. The annual daily average and maximum wind speed values was found to be 1.27 m/s and 4.58 m/s respectively. It can be seen that the August month is the more stable with low standard deviation for all meteorological parameters and high ambient temperature, low relative humidity and low wind speed but the high monthly daily irradiation is recorded during May.
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Table 2 : Monthly and annual daily maximum, average and standard deviation values of the meteorological parameters Irradiation (kWh/m2) Max Mean STD Jan-14 5.87 3.35 1.63 Feb-14 7.09 4.36 1.99 Mar-14 7.75 5.49 2.19 Apr-14 8.11 6.79 1.41 May-14 8.21 7.17 1.11 Jun-14 7.89 6.78 1.45 7.56 6.67 1.14 Jul-14 Aug-14 7.34 6.40 0.89 Sep-14 7.07 4.98 1.85 Oct-14 7.11 5.62 1.58 Nov-14 6.41 3.26 1.67 Dec-14 6.56 3.63 1.54 Annual
8.21
5.37
Ambient temp. (°C) Max Mean STD 17.40 11.17 2.95 19.44 12.80 3.75 18.91 13.48 2.94 25.33 20.56 3.70 30.40 23.00 3.24 34.04 26.06 4.47 36.28 29.98 2.94 37.07 31.50 2.06 33.17 27.57 3.31 28.93 23.36 3.24 21.80 15.97 3.47 16.48 10.51 2.49
Rel. Humidity (%) Max Mean STD 81.41 59.16 15.59 88.77 57.70 17.61 90.03 54.31 15.42 67.90 38.99 11.91 67.41 37.11 12.34 84.17 36.24 15.97 46.09 28.89 8.00 45.97 27.36 6.75 70.68 39.08 13.32 77.81 38.97 14.63 83.14 59.00 16.20 86.61 63.11 11.97
Max 4.36 4.01 3.91 4.58 2.31 2.92 1.95 0.03 2.06 2.16 3.60 3.11
1.54 37.07 20.54 3.21
90.03 44.99 13.31
4.58
Wind speed (m/s) Mean STD 1.74 0.85 1.93 0.54 1.79 0.82 1.68 0.78 1.51 0.32 1.55 0.41 0.96 0.60 0.001 0.0053 0.80 0.48 0.94 0.53 1.20 0.94 1.13 0.77 1.27
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Data from January 2014 to December 2014 were used for the purpose of finding the performance parameters analysis of the five PV module technologies. Figure 9 shows the monthly average daily performance ratio of each technology.
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The monthly average daily performance ratios of the new technologies of PV modules are higher compared to those of mc-Si and m-Si (B-C) during the twelve months. Note that the 10
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module (CIS), HIT and a-Si_μc-Si have the highest performance ratios than all other modules during the month of January 2014. However, during the months of February to November 2014, the a-Si_μc-Si module technology recorded the highest performance ratio than the other technologies with maximum value 99.86%. In August the a-Si_μc-Si module has a performance ratio of 3.20 % which is much better than the HIT and 3.26 % than the CIS in September. The HIT module has the highest performance ratio during the month of December 2014 with a value of 98.38%.
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It can be observed that a seasonal trend of the modules monthly average daily performance ratio is different from technology to another. This seasonal trend in performance has been reported by Nikolaeva-Dimitrova et al. [32] and Phinikarides et al. [11]. The modules of a-Si_μc-Si and HIT show higher monthly average daily performance ratios for the spring, summer and autumn. The monthly average daily performance ratios of a-Si_μc-Si module is found to be about 1.45% to 3.21% higher as compared to HIT module. The CIS module performs better in winter compared to the others module technologies.
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Figure 9. Monthly average daily performance ratio of each PV module technology.
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Figure 10 shows the monthly average daily yield of each technology and the monthly average daily reference yield. The monthly average daily reference yield is low in November with 3.26 hours and higher in May with 7.18 hours. The values of monthly average daily yield follow the same trend as performance ratio, in May, the a-Si_μc-Si reaches 6.74 kWh/kWp and HIT 6.59 kWh/kWp.
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Figure 10. Monthly average daily yield of each PV module technology and reference yield.
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Figure 11 shows the monthly average daily energy efficiency of each technology during the test period.
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Figure 11. Monthly average daily energy efficiency of each PV module technology.
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The HIT technology has the highest monthly average daily efficiency in January with a value of 18.22% and low value of 15.80% in August. The a-Si_μc-Si has the lowest efficiency with the highest value of 8.89% in January and lowest value of 7.90% in August. It can be noted that energy efficiency in outdoor does not remain as in indoor values provided by manufacturer under STC conditions. The highest value of the ambient temperature was recorded in the month of August that is the reason of all modules having a lowest efficiency in this month. The decrease in energy efficiency is particularly due to the increase in module temperature, which increases the temperature losses. The monthly maximum daily modules temperatures are shown in figure 12.
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Figure 12. Monthly daily maximum modules temperature for each PV module technology.
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The lowest monthly maximum module temperature is recorded in January for all technologies and the highest one in August which is the month with highest average ambient temperature that can reach 31.50 °C. Values of 37.06 °C and 26.64 °C are presented as a maximum and minimum for August, as shown in figure 13. The a-Si_μc-Si module have the lowest monthly maximum daily temperature in January with value of 38.80 °C and the highest value of 68.54 °C in August. This technology has the lowest module temperature during all the year but has low energy efficiency. The CIS has the highest module temperature during all the year with maximum value of 77.19 °C in August.
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Figure 13. Monthly daily ambient temperature.
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In figure 14, the average daily efficiency of each PV modules as function of daily irradiation is depicted. All modules show high daily efficiency for low irradiation. There is a correlation between irradiation and module temperature in that when the irradiation increases the temperature of the module increases too at the same time resulting in increased temperature losses. For high irradiation, the a-Si_μc-Si module efficiency is independent on daily irradiation practically over 5000 Wh/m2. This independency of a-Si_μc-Si module efficiency was also reported by Cañete et al. [14].
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Figure 14. Daily energy efficiency of each PV module technology function of daily irradiation.
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Figure 15 shows the daily efficiency of each module technology as a function of daily average module temperature. It can be seen that the a-Si_μc-Si technology shows a lower dependency with module temperature than the other technologies. The a-Si_μc-Si technology responds better to higher temperature than CIS and HIT.
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Figure 15. Daily energy efficiency of each PV module technology function of average daily modules temperature.
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Figure 16 shows the monthly daily average energy production of each module. It can be noticed that the low energy production of the modules is during winter period and a high energy production observed in May 2014 with value 1.53 kWh with HIT technology, this is mainly due to the higher value of peak sun hours observed during this month.
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Figure 16. Monthly average daily energy production for each PV module technology.
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Table 3 summarises the annual average daily values for performance ratio, yield, energy production and efficiency with their respective standard deviations. The modules of HIT and aSi_μc-Si show higher average daily performance ratios throughout the year. The annual average daily performance ratios of a-Si_μc-Si module is found to be about 1.55% higher compared to HIT module and 2.04 % compared to CIS. The thin film modules produce an annual average daily yield around 5 kWh/kWp but the mc-Si module produce 4.63 kWh/kWp and (m-Si (BC)) 4.82 kWh/kWp. The HIT module produces an annual average daily energy of 1.15 kWh which is more than a double of what produce the a-Si_μc-Si. In order to produce the same energy as produced with HIT module, more than double space is then needed using a-Si_μc-Si module. The annual average daily efficiency of HIT is also more than double of the efficiency of a-Si_μc-Si.
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Table 3 : Annual average daily values for performance ratio, yield, energy production and efficiency with their respective standard deviations, for each module technology. Module technology mc-Si CIS HIT m-Si (B-C) a-Si_μc-Si
Daily PR (%) Mean 88.59 93.29 93.74 91.63 95.19
STD 4.75 4.36 3.96 4.61 3.22
Daily yield (kWh/kWp) Mean STD 4.63 1.06 4.89 1.14 4.94 1.17 4.82 1.12 5.00 1.23 17
Daily energy production (kWh) Mean STD 0.76 0.18 0.73 0.17 1.15 0.27 1.00 0.23 0.55 0.14
Daily (%) Mean 12.63 11.41 17.02 14.63 8.38
efficiency STD 1.04 0.92 1.13 1.05 0.64
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5. Conclusion
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A performance assessment of five different PV module technologies, multi-crystalline (mc-Si), copper indium selenide (CIS), mono-crystalline heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT), mono-crystalline back contact (m-Si (B-C)) and tandem structure of amorphous silicon and microcrystalline silicon (a-Si_μc-Si), under the same outdoor conditions has been done for the first year operation at Saida in Algeria. The purpose of the monitoring campaign is to understand the behaviour of the real operation of the modules in outdoor conditions. In this study, the performance parameters for each PV module technology were calculated according to IEC 61724. First, the modules were connected to a data acquisition system; it allows us to perform I-V curve from multiple measurements during a single day, in different meteorological conditions. From I-V curves, the electrical parameter values of each module were extracted and synchronised to the meteorological parameters. In the location of Saida, the modules were exposed to a daily average irradiation of 5.37 kWh/m2 with an average ambient temperature during the sun hours of 20.54 °C, relative humidity of 44.99 % and average wind speed of 1.27 m/s.
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Under these outdoor conditions, the HIT and the a-Si_μc-Si performed much better than the other technologies. The thin film modules show higher average daily performance ratios throughout the year. The annual average daily performance ratios of a-Si_μc-Si module is found to be about 1.55% higher compared to HIT module and 2.04 % compared to CIS. The thin film modules produce an annual average daily yield around 5 kWh/kWp but the mc-Si module produce 4.63 kWh/kWp and (m-Si (B-C)) 4.82 kWh/kWp.
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The HIT module produce an annual average daily energy of 1.15 kWh more than double what the a-Si_μc-Si produce and an annual average daily efficiency more than double of the efficiency of a-Si_μc-Si. To produce the same energy than with HIT module more than double space is needed with a-Si_μc-Si module.
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The variability in the daily efficiency of all modules observed during the test period mainly depends on the daily in plane irradiance received on modules and the module temperature. This variability can be explained by the difference of the module temperature of each technology even working under the same conditions.
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The next work will be concentrated on the estimation of the performance degradation rate of each technology.
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Acknowledgment The authors would like to acknowledge the support from Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). Authors would like to acknowledge their support for this project.
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