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Power rating and qualification of bifacial PV modules

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By Xiaoyu Zhang; Christos Monokroussos; Markus Schweiger; Matthias Heinze, TÜV Rheinland Group

The extra energy gain offered by bifacial PV modules has helped make them an increasingly popular choice in the global PV industry. But the question of how to define, measure and rate the electrical output from bifacial modules is a hotly debated topic, given the extent to which the rear-side contribution is dependent on a range of variable factors relating to local environmental conditions and system configurations. Drawing on in-house modelling and simulation software developed at TÜV Rheinland, this paper explores the power rating issue for bifacial devices, examining the definitions of rear irradiance, measurement test method, power stabilization and verification for type approval. Relevant reliability and safety tests are discussed, with additional modifications and suggestions for bifacial PV modules.

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Welcome to the tenth anniversary edition of Photovoltaics International. Over the past decade this journal has documented the latest developments in the fast-changing of world PV technology, bringing you exclusive insights from researchers working at the industry’s cutting edge. Over that time the pace of change has been astonishing, so much so that it scarcely seems as though one new technology is accepted before the next arrives on the scene. So seems to be the case with the passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC), which having become the technology upgrade of choice across the industry now appears to have a successor in waiting. In this edition researchers at Fraunhofer ISE look at so-called tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) technology as a follow-up to PERC. Meanwhile, a team from TÜV Rheinland takes a deep dive into the vexed question of how the industry can most usefully define the benefits of bifacial technology. At the other end of the value chain, US-based 1366 Technologies gives an account of its contribution to reducing costs in wafer manufacturing, a significant ongoing expense in industrial PV cell production and thus a key focus for efforts to drive down the levelized cost of solar-generated electricity. Elsewhere in this edition, Canadian Solar outlines some of the solutions it has developed for tackling light-induced degradation in multi-PERC cells and modules, a persistent challenge with PERC technology. In this edition our deputy editor Tom Kenning reports from the recent PV CellTech event in Malaysia, where the ‘Who’s Who’ of the PV manufacturing world gathered to debate the current state of play in solar technology.
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Welcome to the latest edition of PV Tech Power. Installed solar power capacity already rivals nuclear power and could well surpass it by the end of 2018. Rapid improvements in solar cell technology, module configuration, system design and financial innovation have been a big driver. Increasingly, we are seeing this mammoth legacy fleet continue to benefit from technical improvements ranging from intelligent monitoring to using machine learning and energy storage to predict when charging a battery offers a better return than feeding the grid. We’ll explore a range of activities covering hardware and software, from module to market, that are helping asset owners maximise the value of solar.

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