Testing and certification of PV modules from prototype- production - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Trust Quality Progress Testing and certification of PV modules from prototype- production to volume-market deployment

PV MODULE TECH 2019 - Penang

Luca Votta – International Business Manager Solar & Wind KIWA GROUP

What we do

OUR OFFER to create trust in your

Testing Inspection Certification Training Consultancy People Services Processes Organization Management Systems Products

founded 1948 in the Netherlands globally active supported by NPM Capital, part of SHV Holdings

• ffices in >40

countries a partner and agent network an operating income

• f € 523m in 2018

~4,700 employees

Key figures

100 Offices in over 40 Countries

Our mascot: the beaver

links with our values and markets

Steady and friendly

Construction and infrastructure Technical skills Cooperation Progress Healthy environment Efficiency Water Hard- working

Dedicated Services for the Solar Market

Grid Codes PV Modules Secondary Market Kiwa is one of the leading Certification Bodies for Testing and Certification of Solar Products Thermal Collectors Components and Structures

Certification of Photovoltaic Modules

International Quality Standard R&D Special Requirements Safety Requirements Country Local Certifications But we have to consider that every successful market deployment of Solar PV Modules starts from initial design, concepts and prototypes! This is what we normally take into consideration when we talk about quality of Solar PV Modules

A case of study… The cooling effect

Reduce temperature is one of the key topics to increase production

• How Kiwa can helps with R&D activities before to step into certification process?
• Which kind of results / benefits are achievable?
• Which is the plus value for the PV solar manufacturers?
• What we discovered in our labs during the R&D activities?

A case of study… …..improving the output and Lifetime of PV modules through cost effective cooling The case

The effect of higher temperatures at the moderate working range is a drop of 6-7% in efficiency, or the equivalent of approximately 20 Watt peak per 60-cell module Effect of high temperatures on degradation/ lifetime not included in standard IEC tests

TEMPERATURE vs EFFICIENCY FOR A Si SOLAR CELL STC: NOCT:

• utput measure in flashtest at Tcell of

25 oC, irradiation 1.000 Watts/m2, AMN 1,5 measuring Tcell at 800 Watts/m2, Tambient 25 oC, wind 1 m/s, mostly around 40-50 oC

Heat Losses Effect

Cell temperatures are however not maximized to 60oC, not even in moderate environments where they can measure 70oC

• r more, while they easily reach 80-90oC in

desert & tropic regions. This is dT of 60-70oC above STC, losing 20% output. How to cool? T-ambient in oC

35o 25o 15o

T-cell in oC

60o 40o 20o 80o DATA FROM A SINGLE DAY (Sevilla, Spain- May 2019)

Heat Losses Effect

• Example of Installations on biaxial tracker.

Thermal effect study

• Test Method by comparison. Mainly Outdoor
• Several conditions taken into consideration

(irradiation, wind, temperature, duration).

• Test locations: Italy and Spain.
• PV module comparisons: several technologies:

mono-, poly, H- pattern and back-contact technology

Test Method

Strong effect on temperature. Performance of different technologies for a typical day in horizontal position. Performances of the cooling samples are better for the entire measured period. (Figure 1.) Effect of lower temperatures at tracking implemented in design. Meteorological data, for the same day, in both vertical and horizontal position, where the grey line is a normal panel and the orange is the cooling

• ne. (Figure 2.)

Source: Kiwa lab springtime, Northern Italy

Lower Temperature

Blue points are the gain values of the power between a standard module and a cooling module. Orange line represent the daily average of the gain. (Figure 1.) Trend of the gains over an exposure period of 10 days in normal conditions and landscape orientations. (Figure 2.) Power measurements are normalized according to the STC performance test in order to compare results.

High Performances

Source: Kiwa lab springtime, Northern Italy

Long term exposure. The kWh output effect, already in fixed tilt, is significant – also at moderate temperatures. The lower temperature (in everyday/thermal cycle) reduces degradation, prolonging lifespan.

Spain Outdoor installation – Springtime Long Term measurement Peak : 13.00-14.00 Sun : 985 W/m2 T.amb : 29,40o C Tref : 68,90o C

High Performances

Wind, ambient temperature and, mainly, irradiation have effects on output performance of PV modules. Predicting cooling gains per location (simulation) is possible by measuring the temperature

• f the

reference (= standard) module using the comparison method. The cooling system tested shows an additional 1,4% extra output per 10°C above 35°C. Valid up to 4,5 m/s windspeed.

Lower heat losses

Trend T° vs Kwh

Conclusions

• Results of the study presented in June 2019 in a webinar with

more than 600 participants globally.

• After 2 years of R&D activities and Certification processes,

prototypes are ready for market deployment today.

• High benefits for manufacturers in having R&D lab activities

combined with Testing and Certification activities (One Stop Shop Service)

• Possibility to add services like IPP program, in-line inspection

and third party audits for manufacturers of PV modules.

Thank you!

Luca Votta International Business Manager Solar & Wind KIWA Group luca.votta@kiwacermet.it www.kiwa.com