Solar PV technologies can be used for both off-grid and grid-connected applications. There are two main types of solar PV modules: crystalline silicon modules made from sliced wafers, and thin film modules made by depositing a semiconductor onto a substrate. Crystalline silicon is generally more efficient but also more expensive than thin film technologies. The performance of solar PV systems is affected by factors like module degradation over time, inverter efficiency, use of tracking systems, and weather conditions. Key metrics for evaluating solar PV plant performance include the performance ratio, capacity factor, and specific yield.
FirstGreen Consulting is a company working in the area of renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate change
The team has extensive experience in handling the Renewable, and energy efficiency projects
FirstGreen is providing energy sector consultancy in the sustainable energy, with expertise ranging from carbon advisory to technical consulting, to project implementation and project management.
Net metering requirements in punjab for grid interactive rooftop SPV Power PlantHarish Sharma
All the consumers of the State Distribution licensee or PSPCL who intend to encourage solar energy and set up solar PV plants at available places on roof-tops of Individual households, industries, Government or Semi-Government or Local Body offices, commercial establishments, institutions, residential complexes shall be eligible with project capacity ranging from minimum 1 KWp upto 1MWp (AC side) with or without battery back-up support. Consumers may generate solar power for self consumption and may feed excess power into the grid to be adjusted.
Photovoltaic Training - Session 3 - Plant OperationLeonardo ENERGY
Control systems and telecommunications.
Components and infrastructure needed to control systems
Monitoring and troubleshooting
Management of information obtained by the control system
Management and alarms.
Sending information for maintenance purposes.
Security of the Installation.
Fundamental characteristics required in a surveillance system.
Protection systems against theft.
Anti‐intrusion systems.
CCTV and video surveillance.
e‐Rounds.
Remote control systems.
Security in PV roofs.
FirstGreen Consulting is a company working in the area of renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate change
The team has extensive experience in handling the Renewable, and energy efficiency projects
FirstGreen is providing energy sector consultancy in the sustainable energy, with expertise ranging from carbon advisory to technical consulting, to project implementation and project management.
Net metering requirements in punjab for grid interactive rooftop SPV Power PlantHarish Sharma
All the consumers of the State Distribution licensee or PSPCL who intend to encourage solar energy and set up solar PV plants at available places on roof-tops of Individual households, industries, Government or Semi-Government or Local Body offices, commercial establishments, institutions, residential complexes shall be eligible with project capacity ranging from minimum 1 KWp upto 1MWp (AC side) with or without battery back-up support. Consumers may generate solar power for self consumption and may feed excess power into the grid to be adjusted.
Photovoltaic Training - Session 3 - Plant OperationLeonardo ENERGY
Control systems and telecommunications.
Components and infrastructure needed to control systems
Monitoring and troubleshooting
Management of information obtained by the control system
Management and alarms.
Sending information for maintenance purposes.
Security of the Installation.
Fundamental characteristics required in a surveillance system.
Protection systems against theft.
Anti‐intrusion systems.
CCTV and video surveillance.
e‐Rounds.
Remote control systems.
Security in PV roofs.
PV System Basics
Introduction to relevant Codes and Standards
Permit and Field Inspector Guidelines for PV Systems
Summary of Changes in 2005/2008 National Electrical Code
Power Adapter Design for 400 V DC Power Distribution in Electronic SystemsVicor Corporation
This white paper describes the design of power adaptors for systems that distribute power using 400 V DC. The paper particularly considers telecom and data center equipment.
Solar Energy has emerges as an unlimited reliable source of energy to fulfill this massive demand of electricity. With the growing business needs, operators are making huge investment to setup various KW/MW Solar Plants. Installations of PV system on rooftops or lawn are very regularly exposed to lightning and indirect surges which can reduce the desired life expectancy.
Source(s): http://www.jmv.co.in/earthing/solar-earth-kit.html
A Delay of a single day for a 10 MW plant can lead to a loss of Rs. 6.5 Lacs ($110,000) in addition to Statutory Losses. Here, we explore typical project execution timelines and possible reasons for delay. The presentation talks about Lead Times of Equipment, Key vendors, Permits Required, Construction & Engineering related delays and finally, gives recommendations on how to keep project on track.
Chrisestom Ochieng, KIS , Uganda
The East Africa Masterclass at Terrat focused on the village level experience of off-grid energy. We have invited local leaders and rural energy providers from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi and Tanzania.
We were keen for village headmen and headwomen to share their village experiences of energy provision and to tell us about the outcomes and impacts of productive energy use in relation to standards of living, education, heath and employment in the village.
The workshop heard from the off grid energy providers about their achievements and challenges in bringing off-grid energy to villages and how they have worked with village leaders and the village community.
Josh Long: Minimum Cyber Security Requirements for a 20 MW Photo Voltaic Field EnergyTech2015
EnergyTech2015.com Track 4 Session 3 RESILIENT APPLICATIONS Moderator: Mike Delamare
Josh Long: Minimum Cyber Security Requirements for a 20 MW Photo Voltaic Field
Brian Patterson: The role of Direct Current micro-grids and data centers for efficiency and resilience
Irv Badr: Managing Risk Factors in Critical Infrastructure
Open Compute has had a revolutionary impact on data center design ,offering many simplicity and cost saving benefits. To become more mainstream, we believe critical questions need to be answered about the implications of OCP on the upstream power infrastructure. Can data centers still achieve Tier 3 redundancy? How do I support traditional and OCP loads in the same data center? This presentation will address these and other questions, and propose a series of simplified architectures to support OCP. We will discuss redundancy, availability, and flexibility implications, as well as present a cost analysis. Schneider Electric embraces the spirit of OCP by openly sharing this analysis and making these simplified reference designs freely available
SOLAR SOLUTIONS A STEP TOWARDS A GREENER FUTUREurjarathi
VEMC offers end-to-end solutions including choosing the right kind of setup, like rooftops, ground-mounted solutions, and solar tracking to choosing the right kind of financial model likes the Capex or Opex models.
SolarEdge Technologies provides next generation power conversion electronics that effectively remove the known system constraints across the photovoltaic energy space. Our Smart DC ASIC technology and active electronics enable cost efficiency and an increased production of clean, grid-ready energy. SolarEdge presents a unique, patent-pending distributed solar power harvesting system, comprised of the following elements:
SolarEdge Power Optimizer
The SolarEdge power optimizer is integrated into each module, replacing the traditional solar junction box. The SolarEdge power optimizers maximize energy throughput from each and every module through constant tracking of the Maximum Power Point individually, per module. Furthermore, the power optimizers monitor the performance of each module and communicate performance data to the SolarEdge monitoring portal for enhanced, cost-effective maintenance. When working with SolarEdge inverters, power optimizers automatically maintain a fixed string voltage, allowing optimal efficiency of the SolarEdge inverter and giving installers greater flexibility to design optimal PV systems.
The independent optimization (IndOP™) technology allows power optimizers to be installed without the need for additional interface hardware and to operate directly with any inverter.
Each power optimizer is equipped with the unique SafeDC™ feature which automatically shuts down modules' voltage whenever inverter or grid power are shut down.
SolarEdge PV Inverter
The SolarEdge Inverter is a highly reliable DC-AC PV inverter. Because MPPT and voltage management are handled separately for each module by the power optimizer, the inverter is only responsible for DC to AC inversion. Consequently, it is a less complicated, more reliable solar inverter. The fixed string voltage ensures operation at the highest efficiency at all times (>97% weighted efficiency) independent of string length and temperature.
SolarEdge PV Monitoring Portal
A web-based application provides module-level, string-level and system-wide monitoring. The solar monitoring software automatically provides alerts for accurate fault detection, localization and remote troubleshooting at the module level. Module performance is communicated across existing power lines, so no extra wiring is required.
Tues.1040 am states role in protecting electric grids from emp and gmd with a...EnergyTech2015
EnergyTech2015.com Track 4 Session 2 SHAPING POLICY ON CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION AND RECOVERY Moderator: Mike DeLamare Panelists will briefly present current policy efforts, or the effects of policy on providers. This will be followed by Q&A from the audience. Panelists: Andrea Boland: Discuss current and pending Legislation for the State of Maine as compared to other States: /Maine John Ostrich: Speaking on the Space Weather Policy and Action Plan Patrick Shaw: Addressing the business continuity and the emergency management consequences of long-term power outages Kevin Goodman: Policy effects on Power and Data Centers Chuck Manto: Policy as a catalyst for technical innovations
FirstGreen Consulting is a company working in the area of renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate change
The team has extensive experience in handling the Renewable, and energy efficiency projects
FirstGreen is providing energy sector consultancy in the sustainable energy, with expertise ranging from carbon advisory to technical consulting, to project implementation and project management.
FirstGreen Consulting is a company working in the area of renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate change
The team has extensive experience in handling the Renewable, and energy efficiency projects
FirstGreen is providing energy sector consultancy in the sustainable energy, with expertise ranging from carbon advisory to technical consulting, to project implementation and project management.
PV System Basics
Introduction to relevant Codes and Standards
Permit and Field Inspector Guidelines for PV Systems
Summary of Changes in 2005/2008 National Electrical Code
Power Adapter Design for 400 V DC Power Distribution in Electronic SystemsVicor Corporation
This white paper describes the design of power adaptors for systems that distribute power using 400 V DC. The paper particularly considers telecom and data center equipment.
Solar Energy has emerges as an unlimited reliable source of energy to fulfill this massive demand of electricity. With the growing business needs, operators are making huge investment to setup various KW/MW Solar Plants. Installations of PV system on rooftops or lawn are very regularly exposed to lightning and indirect surges which can reduce the desired life expectancy.
Source(s): http://www.jmv.co.in/earthing/solar-earth-kit.html
A Delay of a single day for a 10 MW plant can lead to a loss of Rs. 6.5 Lacs ($110,000) in addition to Statutory Losses. Here, we explore typical project execution timelines and possible reasons for delay. The presentation talks about Lead Times of Equipment, Key vendors, Permits Required, Construction & Engineering related delays and finally, gives recommendations on how to keep project on track.
Chrisestom Ochieng, KIS , Uganda
The East Africa Masterclass at Terrat focused on the village level experience of off-grid energy. We have invited local leaders and rural energy providers from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi and Tanzania.
We were keen for village headmen and headwomen to share their village experiences of energy provision and to tell us about the outcomes and impacts of productive energy use in relation to standards of living, education, heath and employment in the village.
The workshop heard from the off grid energy providers about their achievements and challenges in bringing off-grid energy to villages and how they have worked with village leaders and the village community.
Josh Long: Minimum Cyber Security Requirements for a 20 MW Photo Voltaic Field EnergyTech2015
EnergyTech2015.com Track 4 Session 3 RESILIENT APPLICATIONS Moderator: Mike Delamare
Josh Long: Minimum Cyber Security Requirements for a 20 MW Photo Voltaic Field
Brian Patterson: The role of Direct Current micro-grids and data centers for efficiency and resilience
Irv Badr: Managing Risk Factors in Critical Infrastructure
Open Compute has had a revolutionary impact on data center design ,offering many simplicity and cost saving benefits. To become more mainstream, we believe critical questions need to be answered about the implications of OCP on the upstream power infrastructure. Can data centers still achieve Tier 3 redundancy? How do I support traditional and OCP loads in the same data center? This presentation will address these and other questions, and propose a series of simplified architectures to support OCP. We will discuss redundancy, availability, and flexibility implications, as well as present a cost analysis. Schneider Electric embraces the spirit of OCP by openly sharing this analysis and making these simplified reference designs freely available
SOLAR SOLUTIONS A STEP TOWARDS A GREENER FUTUREurjarathi
VEMC offers end-to-end solutions including choosing the right kind of setup, like rooftops, ground-mounted solutions, and solar tracking to choosing the right kind of financial model likes the Capex or Opex models.
SolarEdge Technologies provides next generation power conversion electronics that effectively remove the known system constraints across the photovoltaic energy space. Our Smart DC ASIC technology and active electronics enable cost efficiency and an increased production of clean, grid-ready energy. SolarEdge presents a unique, patent-pending distributed solar power harvesting system, comprised of the following elements:
SolarEdge Power Optimizer
The SolarEdge power optimizer is integrated into each module, replacing the traditional solar junction box. The SolarEdge power optimizers maximize energy throughput from each and every module through constant tracking of the Maximum Power Point individually, per module. Furthermore, the power optimizers monitor the performance of each module and communicate performance data to the SolarEdge monitoring portal for enhanced, cost-effective maintenance. When working with SolarEdge inverters, power optimizers automatically maintain a fixed string voltage, allowing optimal efficiency of the SolarEdge inverter and giving installers greater flexibility to design optimal PV systems.
The independent optimization (IndOP™) technology allows power optimizers to be installed without the need for additional interface hardware and to operate directly with any inverter.
Each power optimizer is equipped with the unique SafeDC™ feature which automatically shuts down modules' voltage whenever inverter or grid power are shut down.
SolarEdge PV Inverter
The SolarEdge Inverter is a highly reliable DC-AC PV inverter. Because MPPT and voltage management are handled separately for each module by the power optimizer, the inverter is only responsible for DC to AC inversion. Consequently, it is a less complicated, more reliable solar inverter. The fixed string voltage ensures operation at the highest efficiency at all times (>97% weighted efficiency) independent of string length and temperature.
SolarEdge PV Monitoring Portal
A web-based application provides module-level, string-level and system-wide monitoring. The solar monitoring software automatically provides alerts for accurate fault detection, localization and remote troubleshooting at the module level. Module performance is communicated across existing power lines, so no extra wiring is required.
Tues.1040 am states role in protecting electric grids from emp and gmd with a...EnergyTech2015
EnergyTech2015.com Track 4 Session 2 SHAPING POLICY ON CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION AND RECOVERY Moderator: Mike DeLamare Panelists will briefly present current policy efforts, or the effects of policy on providers. This will be followed by Q&A from the audience. Panelists: Andrea Boland: Discuss current and pending Legislation for the State of Maine as compared to other States: /Maine John Ostrich: Speaking on the Space Weather Policy and Action Plan Patrick Shaw: Addressing the business continuity and the emergency management consequences of long-term power outages Kevin Goodman: Policy effects on Power and Data Centers Chuck Manto: Policy as a catalyst for technical innovations
FirstGreen Consulting is a company working in the area of renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate change
The team has extensive experience in handling the Renewable, and energy efficiency projects
FirstGreen is providing energy sector consultancy in the sustainable energy, with expertise ranging from carbon advisory to technical consulting, to project implementation and project management.
FirstGreen Consulting is a company working in the area of renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate change
The team has extensive experience in handling the Renewable, and energy efficiency projects
FirstGreen is providing energy sector consultancy in the sustainable energy, with expertise ranging from carbon advisory to technical consulting, to project implementation and project management.
A detailed project execution schedule including major and minor milestones for a 10 MW Plant. The EPC has been spread over 4 months. In case of larger or smaller power plants, the activities would remain same while the timeline would change
Project Proposal on 10 MW Solar PV Power PlantVignesh Sekar
By installing and successfully operating 10 MW photovoltaic (PV) power plants will deliver electricity for consumption by the owners, the relevant peoples in the project assessment place will be made aware of the technical and economic potential of solar power generation. Furthermore, the power required from the public grid will be reduced, and overall expenditure on electric power will be lowered & our project aims to create the necessary awareness among the population, and especially among policy-makers and large investors, Youngsters.....
At Ornate Solar, we believe that with every solar panel and inverter that we sell, we help India move one step closer to a sustainable future.
SolarEdge is an intelligent inverter solution that is revolutionising the way power is harvested and managed in a solar photovoltaic system.
PVSyst is a standard tool for determining the generation from a solar plant, however there is little standardisation over the losses to be assumed.
Based on Gensol's experience, every loss has been analysed & through this document we are indicating on the loss percentage to be assumed.
CIGS Solar Cells: How and Why is their Cost Falling?Jeffrey Funk
My master's students use concepts from my (Jeff Funk) forthcoming book (Technology Change and the Rise of New Industries) to analyze the economic feasibility of CIGS (Cadmium Indium Gallium Selenide) Solar Cells. Improvements in efficiencies and reductions in cost per area (through new processes and increasing the substrate size) are causing steady reductions in the cost of electricity from them. See my other slides for details on concepts, methodology, and other new industries..
GraphRAG is All You need? LLM & Knowledge GraphGuy Korland
Guy Korland, CEO and Co-founder of FalkorDB, will review two articles on the integration of language models with knowledge graphs.
1. Unifying Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs: A Roadmap.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.08302
2. Microsoft Research's GraphRAG paper and a review paper on various uses of knowledge graphs:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/graphrag-unlocking-llm-discovery-on-narrative-private-data/
A tale of scale & speed: How the US Navy is enabling software delivery from l...sonjaschweigert1
Rapid and secure feature delivery is a goal across every application team and every branch of the DoD. The Navy’s DevSecOps platform, Party Barge, has achieved:
- Reduction in onboarding time from 5 weeks to 1 day
- Improved developer experience and productivity through actionable findings and reduction of false positives
- Maintenance of superior security standards and inherent policy enforcement with Authorization to Operate (ATO)
Development teams can ship efficiently and ensure applications are cyber ready for Navy Authorizing Officials (AOs). In this webinar, Sigma Defense and Anchore will give attendees a look behind the scenes and demo secure pipeline automation and security artifacts that speed up application ATO and time to production.
We will cover:
- How to remove silos in DevSecOps
- How to build efficient development pipeline roles and component templates
- How to deliver security artifacts that matter for ATO’s (SBOMs, vulnerability reports, and policy evidence)
- How to streamline operations with automated policy checks on container images
Goodbye Windows 11: Make Way for Nitrux Linux 3.5.0!SOFTTECHHUB
As the digital landscape continually evolves, operating systems play a critical role in shaping user experiences and productivity. The launch of Nitrux Linux 3.5.0 marks a significant milestone, offering a robust alternative to traditional systems such as Windows 11. This article delves into the essence of Nitrux Linux 3.5.0, exploring its unique features, advantages, and how it stands as a compelling choice for both casual users and tech enthusiasts.
Dr. Sean Tan, Head of Data Science, Changi Airport Group
Discover how Changi Airport Group (CAG) leverages graph technologies and generative AI to revolutionize their search capabilities. This session delves into the unique search needs of CAG’s diverse passengers and customers, showcasing how graph data structures enhance the accuracy and relevance of AI-generated search results, mitigating the risk of “hallucinations” and improving the overall customer journey.
GridMate - End to end testing is a critical piece to ensure quality and avoid...ThomasParaiso2
End to end testing is a critical piece to ensure quality and avoid regressions. In this session, we share our journey building an E2E testing pipeline for GridMate components (LWC and Aura) using Cypress, JSForce, FakerJS…
Why You Should Replace Windows 11 with Nitrux Linux 3.5.0 for enhanced perfor...SOFTTECHHUB
The choice of an operating system plays a pivotal role in shaping our computing experience. For decades, Microsoft's Windows has dominated the market, offering a familiar and widely adopted platform for personal and professional use. However, as technological advancements continue to push the boundaries of innovation, alternative operating systems have emerged, challenging the status quo and offering users a fresh perspective on computing.
One such alternative that has garnered significant attention and acclaim is Nitrux Linux 3.5.0, a sleek, powerful, and user-friendly Linux distribution that promises to redefine the way we interact with our devices. With its focus on performance, security, and customization, Nitrux Linux presents a compelling case for those seeking to break free from the constraints of proprietary software and embrace the freedom and flexibility of open-source computing.
Enchancing adoption of Open Source Libraries. A case study on Albumentations.AIVladimir Iglovikov, Ph.D.
Presented by Vladimir Iglovikov:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/iglovikov/
- https://x.com/viglovikov
- https://www.instagram.com/ternaus/
This presentation delves into the journey of Albumentations.ai, a highly successful open-source library for data augmentation.
Created out of a necessity for superior performance in Kaggle competitions, Albumentations has grown to become a widely used tool among data scientists and machine learning practitioners.
This case study covers various aspects, including:
People: The contributors and community that have supported Albumentations.
Metrics: The success indicators such as downloads, daily active users, GitHub stars, and financial contributions.
Challenges: The hurdles in monetizing open-source projects and measuring user engagement.
Development Practices: Best practices for creating, maintaining, and scaling open-source libraries, including code hygiene, CI/CD, and fast iteration.
Community Building: Strategies for making adoption easy, iterating quickly, and fostering a vibrant, engaged community.
Marketing: Both online and offline marketing tactics, focusing on real, impactful interactions and collaborations.
Mental Health: Maintaining balance and not feeling pressured by user demands.
Key insights include the importance of automation, making the adoption process seamless, and leveraging offline interactions for marketing. The presentation also emphasizes the need for continuous small improvements and building a friendly, inclusive community that contributes to the project's growth.
Vladimir Iglovikov brings his extensive experience as a Kaggle Grandmaster, ex-Staff ML Engineer at Lyft, sharing valuable lessons and practical advice for anyone looking to enhance the adoption of their open-source projects.
Explore more about Albumentations and join the community at:
GitHub: https://github.com/albumentations-team/albumentations
Website: https://albumentations.ai/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/100504475
Twitter: https://x.com/albumentations
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Communications Mining Series - Zero to Hero - Session 1DianaGray10
This session provides introduction to UiPath Communication Mining, importance and platform overview. You will acquire a good understand of the phases in Communication Mining as we go over the platform with you. Topics covered:
• Communication Mining Overview
• Why is it important?
• How can it help today’s business and the benefits
• Phases in Communication Mining
• Demo on Platform overview
• Q/A
Encryption in Microsoft 365 - ExpertsLive Netherlands 2024Albert Hoitingh
In this session I delve into the encryption technology used in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Purview. Including the concepts of Customer Key and Double Key Encryption.
Essentials of Automations: The Art of Triggers and Actions in FMESafe Software
In this second installment of our Essentials of Automations webinar series, we’ll explore the landscape of triggers and actions, guiding you through the nuances of authoring and adapting workspaces for seamless automations. Gain an understanding of the full spectrum of triggers and actions available in FME, empowering you to enhance your workspaces for efficient automation.
We’ll kick things off by showcasing the most commonly used event-based triggers, introducing you to various automation workflows like manual triggers, schedules, directory watchers, and more. Plus, see how these elements play out in real scenarios.
Whether you’re tweaking your current setup or building from the ground up, this session will arm you with the tools and insights needed to transform your FME usage into a powerhouse of productivity. Join us to discover effective strategies that simplify complex processes, enhancing your productivity and transforming your data management practices with FME. Let’s turn complexity into clarity and make your workspaces work wonders!
2. Overview of a Solar PV Power Plant
AF-Mercados EMI 2 FirstGreen
3. Applications of Solar PV
Off-grid domestic – Providing electricity to households and
villages that are not connected to the utility electricity network (the
“grid”).
Off-grid non-domestic – Providing electricity for a wide range of
applications such as telecommunication, water pumping and
navigational aids.
Grid-connected distributed PV – Providing electricity to a specific
grid-connected customer.
Grid-connected centralised PV – Providing centralised power
generation for the supply of bulk power into the grid.
AF-Mercados EMI 3 FirstGreen
4. PV Materials
Crystalline Silicon (c-Si) – Thin Film – Modules are
Modules are made from made with a thin film
Cells of either mono-crystalline Deposition of a semiconductor
or multi-crystalline silicon. onto a substrate. This class
Mono-crystalline silicon cells includes semiconductors made
are generally the most from:
efficient, but are also more Amorphous silicon (a-Si).
costly than multi-crystalline. Cadmium telluride (CdTe).
Copper indium selenide (CIS).
Copper indium (gallium) di-
selenide (CIGS).
AF-Mercados EMI 4 FirstGreen
6. Crystalline Silicon PV Modules
Mono-crystalline wafers are sliced from a large single
crystal ingot in a relatively expensive process.
Cheaper, multi-crystalline wafers may be made by a variety
of techniques.
One of the technologies involves the carefully controlled
casting of molten poly-silicon, which is then sliced into
wafers.
AF-Mercados EMI 6 FirstGreen
7. Thin Film PV Modules
Crystalline wafers provide high efficiency solar cells but are
relatively costly to manufacture. In comparison, thin film
cells are typically cheaper due to both the materials used
and the simpler manufacturing process.
The most well-developed thin film technology uses silicon
in its less ordered, non-crystalline (amorphous) form.
Other technologies use cadmium telluride and copper
indium (gallium) di-selenide with active layers less than a
few microns thick. In general, thin film technologies have a
less established track record than many crystalline
technologies.
AF-Mercados EMI 7 FirstGreen
8. Module Degradation
Amorphous silicon cells degrade through a process called the Staebler-
Wronski Effect.
This degradation can cause reductions of 10-30% in the power output of
the module in the first six months of exposure to light. Thereafter, the
degradation stabilises and continues at a much slower rate.
The performance of the modules may tend to recover during the summer
months, and drop again in the colder winter months.
Additional degradation for both amorphous and crystalline technologies
occurs at the module level and may be caused by:
Effect of the environment on the surface of the module (for example pollution).
Discolouration or haze of the encapsulant or glass.
Lamination defects.
Mechanical stress and humidity on the contacts.
Cell contact breakdown.
Wiring degradation.
AF-Mercados EMI 8 FirstGreen
11. Fixed and Tracking structures
Depending on the site and
precise characteristics of the
solar irradiation, trackers may
increase the annual energy yield
by up to 27% for single-axis and
37% for dual-axis trackers.
Almost all tracking system plants
use crystalline silicon modules.
This is because their higher
efficiency reduces additional
capital and operating costs
required for the tracking system
(per kWp installed).
AF-Mercados EMI 11 FirstGreen
12. Tracking systems
High wind capability and storm
mode: dual-axis tracking
systems especially need to go
into a storm mode when the
wind speed is over 16-20 m/s.
This could reduce the energy
yield and revenues at high wind
speed sites.
Direct/diffuse irradiation ratio:
tracking systems will give
greater benefits in locations that
have a higher direct irradiation
component.
AF-Mercados EMI 12 FirstGreen
14. Inverter systems
Central inverters offer high reliability
and simplicity of installation. However,
they have disadvantages: increased
mismatch losses and absence of
maximum power point tracking (MPPT)
for each string.
This may cause problems for arrays
that have multiple tilt and orientation
angles, suffer from shading, or use
different module types.
Central inverters are usually three-
phase and can include grid frequency
transformers.
Central inverters are sometimes used in
a “master slave” configuration.
AF-Mercados EMI 14 FirstGreen
15. Inverter systems
String inverters, which are usually
in single phase
In comparison, the failure of a large
central inverter—with a long lead
time for repair—can lead to
significant yield loss before it can
be replaced.
AF-Mercados EMI 15 FirstGreen
16. Inverters
In the case of transformerless string inverters, the PV generator voltage
must either be significantly higher than the voltage on the AC side, or DC-
DC step-up converters must be used.
The absence of a transformer leads to higher efficiency, reduced weight,
reduced size (50-75% lighter than transformer-based models and lower cost
due to the smaller number of components.
On the downside, additional protective equipment must be used, such as
DC sensitive earth-leakage circuit breakers (CB)
Inverters with transformers provide galvanic isolation. Central inverters are
generally equipped with transformers.
In general, one of the quantities used to describe the quality of a grid-
connected inverter is total harmonic distortion (THD).
It is a measure of the harmonic content of the inverter output and must be
limited in most grid codes.
AF-Mercados EMI 16 FirstGreen
17. Inverter efficiency
Inverters can have a typical European
Efficiency of 95% and peak efficiencies of up
to 98%. Most inverters employ MPPT
algorithms to adjust the load impedance and
maximise the power from the PV array. The
highest efficiencies are reached by
transformerless inverters.
AF-Mercados EMI 17 FirstGreen
19. Performance Ratio
The performance ratio of a photovoltaic
system is the quotient of alternating
current (AC) yield and the nominal yield of
the generator’s direct current (DC).
It indicates which portion of the
generated current can actually be used. A
photovoltaic system with a high Efficiency
can achieve a performance ratio over 70
%.
The performance ratio is also often called
the Quality Factor (Q). A Solar Module
based on crystalline cells can even reach
a quality factor of 0.85 to 0.95
(performance ratio = 85 - 95 %).
AF-Mercados EMI 19 FirstGreen
20. Capacity Factor
The capacity factor of a PV power plant (usually expressed as a
percentage) is the ratio of the actual output over a period of one year and
its output if it had operated at nominal power the entire year.
CF=(Energy generated per annum (kWh))/(8760 (hours /
annum)×Installed Capacity (kWp))
AF-Mercados EMI 20 FirstGreen
21. Specific Yield
The “specific yield” (kWh/kWp) is the
total annual energy generated per
kWp installed.
It is often used to help determine the
financial value of an array and
compare operating results from
different technologies and systems.
The specific yield of a plant depends on:
The total annual irradiation falling on
the collector plane.
The performance of the module,
including sensitivity to high
temperatures and low light levels.
System losses including inverter
downtime.
AF-Mercados EMI 21 FirstGreen