Technical Seminar 5: Performance Evaluation and Standard

-Field Performance Measurement and Evaluation of PV Systems-

The performance evaluation and verification of PV systems, which generate power in natural environments, are very important. Technical issues of current systems will be discussed based on the results of field tests conducted under various conditions.

Chair(s):

Michio Kondo
Director, Research Center for Photovoltaics
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)

Katsuhiko Shirasawa
General Manager, Solar Energy R&D Division Corp. Solar Energy Group
Kyocera

Date:

Friday, July 2

Time:

10:30-13:00

Venue:

ANNEX Hall, Pacifico Yokohama

Cost:

Interpretation:

Japanese-English interpretation available

Registration:

Agenda

10:35–11:20	Outdoor Performance of Photovoltaic Modules and the Impact of Environmental Factors Takashi Minemoto Assosiate Professor, Ritsumeikan Global Innovation Research Organization Ritsumeikan University The performance of photovoltaic (PV) modules is greatly influenced by environmental factors, i.e., irradiance, temperature and solar spectral irradiance distribution. Also, the output behaviors are different between solar cell technologies such as bulk crystalline Si and thin-film Si. In this presentation, the basic output behaviors of Si-based PV modules outdoor will be reviewed. Then, the impact of environmental factors on the outdoor performance of PV modules will be discussed. Finally, the proposal of suitable PV modules to maximize their energy generation on different climate and the idea for the energy rating of PV modules will be also presented.
11:20–12:05	Design and Safety Qualification Testing for PV Modules and Experience from the Field. Ken Nagasawa Project Engineer, Products TÜV Rheinland Japan Ltd. Photovoltaic modules have to withstand a number of environmental influences in their long lifetime. The international standards for design qualification (IEC 61215/61646) and the safety (IEC61730, ANSI1703) have been established and testing have been performed by several laboratories of certification bodies according to the standards more than 10 years. These testing consist of a set of accelerated stress tests with strict pass/fail criteria. This seminar presents overview of these standards and our experience from the laboratories in Germany, the USA and Japan with failure examples and its analysis. This seminar also introduces some experimental results in the field from Europe and the USA.
12:05–12:50	Trends in the Equipments for Environmental Tests on PV Modules Shoji Segawa Manager, System Sales Engineering Department ESPEC CORP. IEC and UL Standards describe the testing methods which are necessary for PV module's design qualification and type approval. I explain the necessary test methods, those are, the climatic environmental tests (e.g. damp heat, thermal cycle, and humidity freeze tests), and clarify the test chamber's required performance. Various PV modules which develop in future demand long life and upkeep of high reliability. On the other hand, it requires coping with both the high performance and the low cost for the market expand. In addition to these, to reduce the test cost, we need to establish an accelerated aging test. I introduce the prospective accelerated aging test chamber hereafter.
12:50-13:00	Authors Interview