Study on Image Recognition Algorithm for Residual Snow and Ice on Photovoltaic Modules

The accumulation of snow and ice on PV modules can have a detrimental impact on power generation,leading to reduced efficiency for prolonged periods.Thus,it becomes imperative to develop an intelligent system capable of accurately assessing the extent of snow and ice coverage on PV modules.To address this issue,the article proposes an innovative ice and snow recognition algorithm that effectively segments the ice and snow areas within the collected images.Furthermore,the algorithm incorporates an analysis of the morphological characteristics of ice and snow coverage on PV modules,allowing for the establishment of a residual ice and snow recognition process.This process utilizes both the external ellipse method and the pixel statistical method to refine the identification process.The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is validated through extensive testing with isolated and continuous snow area pictures.The results demonstrate the algorithm’s accuracy and reliability in identifying and quantifying residual snow and ice on PV modules.In conclusion,this research presents a valuable method for accurately detecting and quantifying snow and ice coverage on PV modules.This breakthrough is of utmost significance for PV power plants,as it enables predictions of power generation efficiency and facilitates efficient PV maintenance during the challenging winter conditions characterized by snow and ice.By proactively managing snow and ice coverage,PV power plants can optimize energy production and minimize downtime,ensuring a sustainable and reliable renewable energy supply.

Performance Comparison of Photovoltaic Modules under Low Sunlight

The DC energy produced by photovoltaic （PV） modules can change depending on the cell type, module components and module technology. The cell efficiency, sensitivity of the cell to light, recombination losses and how much the light reflects within the cell will affect the amount of produced energy. In addition, the energy produced will change depending on what wavelength light and how much can be transmitted through the front glass and encapsulant and how much light is reflected from back encapsulant and back cover. The front glass transmissivity, patterned surface and existence of ARC （anti-reflective coating） are all very important. In this research project, 14 modules were tested： 4 modules Glass/Glass （Perc Mono Cell）, 4 modules Glass/Ceramic （Perc Mono Cell）, 2 modules Glass/Glass bifacial （HIT Cell）, 1 module Standard （Framed, Mono-n type Cell）, 2 modules Standard （Framed, Poly Cell）, 1 module Standard （Framed, Perc Mono Cell）. This paper compares the normalized Wh/Wp ratios of the different modules under low irradiance （morning and afternoon light） and analyzes and investigates the obtained results as per the cell type used, module components and module technology.

Modeling of a Photovoltaic Module Considering the Solar Energy Available from Horizontal Surfaces over Kuwait Area

The paper identifies and analyzes the geographical and temporal variability of solar energy in Kuwait. The fundamental solar trigonometric model has been modified to estimate daily and hourly solar radiation on horizontal surfaces on the basis of the more readily available meteorological data. The results demonstrate that Kuwait has an abundance of solar energy capability. An overview of the production and consumption of electrical energy, installed capacity, and peak loads in Kuwait is also presented. Finally, it is shown how the power produced from the photovoitaic （PV） cells depends on the solar radiation. The proposed PV module is made up of a combination of series and parallel cells to increase power, while the IoV characteristic and output power of the module each month may be obtained from the model.

Design of Dismantling and Recycling Equipment for Junction Boxes of Waste Crystal Silicon Photovoltaic Modules

The dismantling and recycling of junction boxes,which is an important part of the photovoltaic module recycling process,was tested and designed scientifically.The equipment framework was built by three-dimensional simulation,and then the design of dismantling and recycling equipment for junction boxes of waste crystal silicon photovoltaic modules was completed through the experimental test and data analysis.The experimental results show that the initial idea of the dismantling scheme is correct,and the structure is feasible.However,some problems were not considered.This study provides reliable data support for the subsequent equipment development and ensures the smooth development of the subsequent design work.

Mechanical Integrity and Failure Analysis of Photovoltaic Modules under Simulated Snow Loads Using Pneumatic Airbag Setup

Photovoltaic (PV) modules have emerged as an ideal technology of choice for harvesting vastly available renewable energy resources. However, the efficiency of PV modules remains significantly lower than that of other renewable energy sources such as wind and hydro. One of the critical elements affecting a photovoltaic module’s efficiency is the variety of external climatic conditions under which it is installed. In this work, the effect of simulated snow loads was evaluated on the performance of PV modules with different types of cells and numbers of busbars. According to ASTM-1830 and IEC-1215 standards, a load of 5400 Pa was applied to the surface of PV modules for 3 hours. An indigenously developed pneumatic airbag test setup was used for the uniform application of this load throughout the test, which was validated by load cell and pressure gauge. Electroluminescence (EL) imaging and solar flash tests were performed before and after the application of load to characterize the performance and effect of load on PV modules. Based on these tests, the maximum power output, efficiency, fill factor and series resistance were determined. The results show that polycrystalline modules are the most likely to withstand the snow loads as compared to monocrystalline PV modules. A maximum drop of 32.13% in the power output and a 17.6% increase in series resistance were observed in the modules having more cracks. These findings demonstrated the efficacy of the newly established test setup and the potential of snow loads for reducing the overall performance of PV module.

Characterization of Simulator and Relative Spectral Responsivity Measurements of Photovoltaic Modules with Band Pass Filter Technique

One of the most important parameter used for the evaluation of the energy rating of PV modules is, their spectral responsivities which are the measure of electrical performance parameters per incident solar radiation. In this work, spectral responsivity measurements of a mono-crystalline, a poly-crystalline, a CIGS thin film and a bifacial module were measured using xenon-based flash type solar simulator system and a set of band pass filters. For the comprehensive characterization of parameters that may influence the spectral responsivity measurements, initially the simulator system was characterized both optically and thermally according to the IEC60904-9 and IEC60891 standard requirements. The optical characterizations in terms of spectral match, spatial non-uniformity and temporal instability indicate that the measured results (~3.0%, ~0.30% and ~0.20%) according to the IEC 60904-9 standard’s classification requirements correspond to A+A+A+ classes. Moreover, thermal characterizations in terms of the temperature uniformity show that over the 2 × 2 m area temperature uniformity of simulator system’s light distribution (1ºC) is almost two times better than the IEC 60891 standard requirements (±2ºC). Next, PV modules were electrically stabilized according to the IEC 61215-2 standard requirement’s (stability test) to reduce the fluctuations in their electrical performance parameters. Then, using the band pass filters, temperature controlled xenon-based solar simulator system and a reference PV module of the spectral responsivity of PV modules were measured from 400 nm to 1100 nm with 50 nm steps with relative uncertainty of 10-3 level.

Defect Detection in c-Si Photovoltaic Modules via Transient Thermography and Deconvolution Optimization

Defects may occur in photovoltaic(PV)modules during production and long-term use,thereby threatening the safe operation of PV power stations.Transient thermography is a promising defect detection technology;however,its detection is limited by transverse thermal diffusion.This phenomenon is particularly noteworthy in the panel glasses of PV modules.A dynamic thermography testing method via transient thermography and Wiener filtering deconvolution optimization is proposed.Based on the time-varying characteristics of the point spread function,the selection rules of the first-order difference image for deconvolution are given.Samples with a broken grid and artificial cracks were tested to validate the performance of the optimization method.Compared with the feature images generated by traditional methods,the proposed method significantly improved the visual quality.Quantitative defect size detection can be realized by combining the deconvolution optimization method with adaptive threshold segmentation.For the same batch of PV products,the detection error could be controlled to within 10%.

Parameter identification and generality analysis of photovoltaic module dual-diode model based on artificial hummingbird algorithm

The aim of this study is to propose a photovoltaic(PV)module simulation model with high accuracy under practical working conditions and strong applicability in the engineering field to meet various PV system simulation needs.Unlike previous model-building methods,this study combines the advantages of analytical and metaheuristic algorithms.First,the applicability of various metaheuristic algorithms is comprehensively compared and the seven parameters of the PV cell under standard test conditions are extracted using the double diode model,which verifies that the artificial hummingbird algorithm has higher accuracy than other algorithms.Then,the seven parameters under different conditions are corrected using the analytical method.In terms of the correc-tion method,the ideal factor correction is added on the basis of previous methods to solve the deviation between simulated data and measured data in the non-linear section.Finally,the root mean squared error between the simulated current data and the measured current data of the proposed model under three different temperatures and irradiance is 0.0697,0.0570 and 0.0289 A,respectively.

High-performance large-area perovskite photovoltaic modules

Perovskite solar cells(Pero-SCs)exhibited a bright future for the next generation of photovoltaic technology because of their high power conversion efficiency(PCE),low cost,and simple solution process.The certified laboratory-scale PCE has reached 25.7%referred to small scale(<0.1 cm^(2))of Pero-SCs.However,with the increase of the area to module scale,the PCE drops dramatically mainly due to the inadequate regulation of growing large-area perovskite films.Therefore,there is a dire need to produce high-quality perovskite films for large-area photovoltaic modules.Herein,we summarize the recent advances in perovskite photovoltaic modules(PPMs)with particular attention paid to the coating methods,as well as the growth regulation of the high-quality and large-area perovskite films.Furthermore,this study encompasses future development directions and prospects for PPMs.

Photovoltaic Models Parameters Estimation Based on Weighted Mean of Vectors

Renewable energy sources are gaining popularity,particularly photovoltaic energy as a clean energy source.This is evident in the advancement of scientific research aimed at improving solar cell performance.Due to the non-linear nature of the photovoltaic cell,modeling solar cells and extracting their parameters is one of the most important challenges in this discipline.As a result,the use of optimization algorithms to solve this problem is expanding and evolving at a rapid rate.In this paper,a weIghted meaN oF vectOrs algorithm(INFO)that calculates the weighted mean for a set of vectors in the search space has been applied to estimate the parameters of solar cells in an efficient and precise way.In each generation,the INFO utilizes three operations to update the vectors’locations:updating rules,vector merging,and local search.The INFO is applied to estimate the parameters of static models such as single and double diodes,as well as dynamic models such as integral and fractional models.The outcomes of all applications are examined and compared to several recent algorithms.As well as the results are evaluated through statistical analysis.The results analyzed supported the proposed algorithm’s efficiency,accuracy,and durability when compared to recent optimization algorithms.

Performance on Power,Hot and Cold Water Generation of a Hybrid Photovoltaic Thermal Module

This paper proposed a new function of photovoltaic thermal(PVT)module to produce nocturnal cool water not just only generating electrical power and hot water during daytime.Experimental tests were carried out under Chiang Mai tropical climate with a 200 Wp monocrystalline PVT module having dimensions of 1.601 m×0.828 m connected with two water tanks each of 60 L taken for hot and cool water storages.The module was facing south with 18o inclination.The electrical load was a 200 W halogen lamp.From experiments,by taking the module as a nocturnal radiative cooling surface,the cool water temperature in the cool storage tank could be reduced 2℃–3℃each night and the temperature could be reduced from 31.5℃to 22.1℃within 4 consecutive days.The cool water at approximately 23℃was also used to cool down the PVT module from noon when the PVT module temperature was rather high,and then the module temperature immediately dropped around 5℃and approximately 10%increase of electrical power could be achieved.A set of mathematical models was also developed to predict the PVT module temperature and the hot water temperature including the cool water temperature in the storage tanks during daytime and nighttime.The simulated results agreed well with the experimental data.

Moisture Absorption and Desorption in an Ionomer-Based Encapsulant:A Type of Self-Breathing Encapsulant for CIGS Thin-Film PV Modules

As an alternative to conventional encapsulation concepts for a double glass photovoltaic(PV)module,we introduce an innovative ionomer-based multi-layer encapsulant,by which the application of additional edge sealing to prevent moisture penetration is not required.The spontaneous moisture absorption and desorption of this encapsulant and its raw materials,poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid)and an ionomer,are analyzed under different climatic conditions in this work.The relative air humidity is thermodynamically the driving force for these inverse processes and determines the corresponding equilibrium moisture content(EMC).Higher air humidity results in a larger EMC.The homogenization of the absorbed water molecules is a diffusion-controlled process,in which temperature plays a dominant role.Nevertheless,the diffusion coefficient at a higher temperature is still relatively low.Hence,under normal climatic conditions for the application of PV modules,we believe that the investigated ionomer-based encapsulant can“breathe”the humidity:During the day,when there is higher relative humidity,it“inhales”(absorbs)moisture and restrains it within the outer edge of the module;then at night,when there is a lower relative humidity,it“exhales”(desorbs)the moisture.In this way,the encapsulant protects the cell from moisture ingress.

Analysis of the Impact Resistance of Photovoltaic Panels Based on the Effective Thickness Method

Based on the recent development of renewable energy utilization technology,in addition to centralized photovol-taic power plants,distributed photovoltaic power generation systems represented by building-integrated photo-voltaic systems are frequently employed for power supply.Therefore,in the architectural design,the double-glass photovoltaic module used in the integrated photovoltaic building system puts forward a higher load-bearing capa-city requirement and the corresponding simplified method of carrying capacity check.This article focuses on the simplified method of checking the bearing capacity of the four-sided simply supported double-glass photovoltaic module.First,the principle of equivalent stiffness is used to calculate the effective thickness.Then,the rationality of this approach is verified by comparing the bending states of sandwich panels under different shear moduli.The double-glass photovoltaic module is equivalent to a single-layer board,and its effectiveness is verified by compar-ing the impact test results of the double-glass photovoltaic module with the results of the single-layer board.But the comparison with the test results shows that,from the perspective of architectural design,the effective thick-ness results in this paper can ensure that the building structure has sufficient bearing capacity,but the four-side simply supported boundary theory cannot fully reflect the calculation of the bearing capacity of the four-side clamped double-glass photovoltaic module.

Power Output Improvement of PV Module for Agricultural Use by Using Inexpensive Sunlight Concentrator

PV modules are used as stand alone power sources for agricultural equipments such as lifting pumps in farms, where the power infrastructure is not yet improved. In order to expand the agricultural use of PV module, the cost of PV generation should be reduced. In this paper, the power output performance of a commercial PV module was improved by using a sunlight concentrator that could be assembled inexpensively and a simple sun-tracking method.

Optimization of Photovoltaic Reflector System for Indoor Energy Harvesting

This study proposes a solution for optimizing the distance between a solar module and reflector for an indoor energy harvesting system.It is a process in which energy(ambient light)is captured and converted directly into electricity.Inside a building,this energy could be used to supply power to wide range of portable equipment or offset other electrical energy usage and associated costs.The proposed reflector element was designed and tested in a real indoor environment to confirm its effectiveness.A distance⁃optimization method for the placement of a polycrystalline photovoltaic(PV)module and a mirror was described,and the performance characteristics of the system were investigated qualitatively through visual observation and quantitatively through measuring voltage and ampere values.The solar PV system with a reflector element displayed a 10%increase in voltage when compared with that without.As the distance between PV module and the reflector increased,the voltage and ampere reading decreased,thus the distance was optimized to gain maximum readings.Various studies employing reflectors have also showed increases in voltage readings with different designs,suggesting that reflectors are economically viable optical elements that can boost the voltage output of a PV module.In practice,the distance⁃optimized PV module can be placed in buildings with extended indoor lighting duration away from disrupting building activity.

Comprehensive Examination of Solar Panel Design: A Focus on Thermal Dynamics

In the 21st century, the deployment of ground-based Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Modules has seen exponential growth, driven by increasing demands for green, clean, and renewable energy sources. However, their usage is constrained by certain limitations. Notably, the efficiency of solar PV modules on the ground peaks at a maximum of 25%, and there are concerns regarding their long-term reliability, with an expected lifespan of approximately 25 years without failures. This study focuses on analyzing the thermal efficiency of PV Modules. We have investigated the temperature profile of PV Modules under varying environmental conditions, such as air velocity and ambient temperature, utilizing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). This analysis is crucial as the efficiency of PV Modules is significantly impacted by changes in the temperature differential relative to the environment. Furthermore, the study highlights the effect of airflow over solar panels on their temperature. It is found that a decrease in the temperature of the PV Module increases Open Circuit Voltage, underlining the importance of thermal management in optimizing solar panel performance.

Maximizing aged photovoltaic array power:a computer modelling study

Photovoltaic(PV)modules age with time for various reasons such as corroded joints and terminals and glass coating defects,and their ageing degrades the PV array power.With the help of the PV array numerical model,this paper explores the effects of PV module ageing on the PV array power,and the power gains and costs of rearranging and recabling aged PV modules in a PV array.The numerical PV array model is first revised to account for module ageing,rearrangement and recabling,with the relevant equations presented herein.The updated numerical model is then used to obtain the array powers for seven different PV arrays.The power results are then analysed in view of the attributes of the seven PV array examples.A guiding method to recommend recabling after rearranging aged modules is then proposed,leading to further significant power gains,while eliminating intra-row mismatches.When certain conditions are met,it was shown that recabling PV modules after rearranging them may lead to further significant power gains,reaching 57%and 98%in two considered PV array examples.Higher gains are possible in other arrays.A cost-benefit analysis weighing annual power gains versus estimated recabling costs is also given for the seven considered PV array examples to guide recabling decisions based on technical and economic merits.In the considered examples,recabling costs can be recovered in<4 years.Compared with the powers of the aged arrays,power gains due to our proposed rearranging and recabling the PV arrays ranged between 73%and 131%in the considered examples—well over the gains reported in the literature.Moreover,the cost of our static module rearrangement and recabling method outshines the costs of dynamic reconfiguration methods recently published in the literature.

A Non-traditional Technique Raising Efficiencies for All Kinds of Solar Cells

A VSM(V-Shaped Module)technique is effective for boosting the efficiencies of solar cells,which has been confirmed by several research groups in Europe and America.In this study,a 60%efficiency enhancement due to the VSM technique is obtained for solar cells with the fewest possible defects,which is verified under direct sunlight illumination.The following three mechanisms are proposed to explain the enhancement:(1)infrared photons emitted from the cells due to the law of energy conservation,(2)residual reflection which cannot be eliminated by an antireflection coating,and(3)photons reflected from electrode metal.At least,the reflection from the cells contributes to the easy-to-reproduce VSM enhancement effect.In the VSM,each tilted cell is a second source of incoming energy for the opposite cell.Due to light trapping,the 3D(Three-Dimension)configuration enables the VSM technique to increase efficiencies for all kinds of solar cells.The VSM technique,which has broken new ground in raising the efficiencies of solar cells,has opened new avenues in area-limited solar-energy applications such as concentrator solar cells,sun tracking solar panels,solar-powered vehicles,and even photodetectors etc.

Derivation and conformity measurement of a popular explicit analytic Borowy 2C PV module model

A popular explicit analytic Borowy 2C PV module model is proposed for power generation prediction.The maximum power point and the open-circuit point which are calculated in this model cannot be equal to the data given by manufacturers under standard test condition(STC).The derivation of this model has never been mentioned in any literatures.The parameter forms of 2C model in this paper are more simplified,and the model is decomposed into a STC sub-model and an incremental sub-model.The STC model is derived successfully from an ideal single-diode circuit model.Relative error estimations are developed to do the conformity error measurements.The analysis results showed that though the biases at those critical points are very small,the conformity will depend on both of the two ratio values I_(m)/I_(sc) and V_(m)/V_(oc),which can be used to verify whether 2C model is applicable for the PV module produced by a particular manufacturer.

Real-time simulation platform for photovoltaic system with a boost converter using MPPT algorithm in a DSP controller

Recently, real-time simulation of renewable energy sources are indispensible for evaluating the performance of the maximum power point tracking （MPPT） controller, especially in the photovoltaic （PV） system in order to reduce cost in the testing phase. Nowadays, real time PV simulators are obtained by using analog and/or digital components. In this paper, a real-time simulation of a PV system with a boost converter was proposed using only the digital signal processor （DSP） processor with two DC voltage sources to emulate the temperature and irradiation in the PV system. A MATLAB/ Simulink environment was used to develop the real-time PV system with a boost converter into a C-program and build it into a DSP controller TMS320F28335. Besides, the performance of the real-time DSP-based PV was tested in different temperature and irradiation conditions to observe the P-V and V-I characteristics. Further, the performance of the PV with a boost converter was tested at different temperatures and irradiations using MPPT algorithms. This scheme was tested through simulation and the results were validated with that of standard conditions given in the PV data sheets. Implementation of this project helped to attract more researchers to study renewable energy applications without real sources. This might facilitate the study of PV systems in a real-time scenario and the evaluation of what should be expected for PV modules available in the market.