Title :
Stabilization and performance characteristics of commercial amorphous-silicon PV modules
Author :
King, David L. ; Kratochvil, Jay A. ; Boyson, William E.
Author_Institution :
Sandia Nat. Labs., Albuquerque, NM, USA
Abstract :
The successful commercialization of any new photovoltaic technology is difficult. Understanding the product´s performance and aging characteristics is a prerequisite for the manufacturer. Amorphous-silicon thin-film modules are now in commercial production, and their market penetration is being limited to some degree by a lack of understanding of environmental influences that impact system design and operation. This paper summarizes our detailed performance characterization of multiple modules from four different manufacturers over several years of continuous outdoor exposure in Albuquerque, NM. Common stabilization characteristics have been observed for both tandem and triple-junction modules, and the influences of solar spectrum and seasonal (thermal) annealing have been clearly identified. Implications for system performance modelling are presented
Keywords :
ageing; amorphous semiconductors; annealing; elemental semiconductors; environmental factors; p-n junctions; solar cell arrays; stability; Albuquerque; New Mexico; Si; a-Si PV modules; aging characteristics; commercial amorphous-silicon PV modules; continuous outdoor exposure; environmental influences; performance characteristics; seasonal annealing; stabilization characteristics; system design; system operation; system performance modelling; tandem modules; thermal annealing; triple-junction modules; Aging; Commercialization; Degradation; Laboratories; Manufacturing; Photovoltaic systems; Portable media players; Solar power generation; Temperature measurement; Testing;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 2000. Conference Record of the Twenty-Eighth IEEE
Conference_Location :
Anchorage, AK
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-5772-8
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.2000.916165
