EENG 622

Photovoltaic Energy Systems

Dr. Ali Assi

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

Photovoltaics What is it all about?

Photovoltaics is a technology involving the direct conversion of
solar radiation (also called insolation) into electricity using solar
cells.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2zjdtxrisc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lIfPRjjbug
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Photovoltaic Energy Systems Introduction

Photovoltaics Solar Module

As individual solar cells generate very low voltage, a number of
such cells are connected in series and combined into a so-called
solar module.

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Photovoltaics Solar Generator

Higher output can be obtained by wiring a number of modules
together to create solar generators, which can be of any size.

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Photovoltaics Spaceship
The first usable solar cell was developed in 1954, and solar cells
were used for technical purposes in connection with space flight
Solar batteries.

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Photovoltaic Energy Systems Introduction

Photovoltaics Why?
Following the 1973 oil crisis, interest in renewable energy,
particularly in terms of solar power.
Interest in Photovoltaics has grown even further since the
Chernobyl accident in 1986, which spurred the development of
simpler and cheaper solar cells for terrestrial applications

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Photovoltaics and Todays Energy

The insolation used by solar cells constitute an inexhaustible
energy resource, unlike oil, uranium, and coal, which are the most
widely used energy resources today.

Todays Energy
The Future
Oil, uranium, and coal are finite resources
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Photovoltaics and Batteries

A basic problem with terrestrial PVs is the fluctuations of
insolation by virtue of the sunrise and sunset cycle, cloudy and
rainy weather and seasonal changes in insolation.
PVs must use batteries to store energy (Stand-alone PV systems)
or must be connected to an existing power grid (Grid-connected PV
systems).

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Raw Materials of Photovoltaics

PV energy is extremely clean and environmentally friendly, and
engenders no noise pollution, waste-gas emissions or toxic waste.

Silicon, the main raw material used for solar cells, is one of the
most abundant substances on earth (Sand)
Manufacturing

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Raw Materials of Photovoltaics (Cont.)

Thus electricity from solar cells can in a sense be thought of as
power from sand and Sun

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Photovoltaics Maintenance
Solar cells are maintenance free and extremely reliable.

If they are protected from environmental influences by fault-free

packing, mono and ploy crystalline solar cells have a life
expectancy of 25 to 30 years.
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Photovoltaics vs. Thermal Solar Energy

In contrast to thermal solar systems which can only use direct
beam radiation, PVs can also convert into electricity the diffuse
portion of insolation; Diffuse radiation accounts for more than
50% of the total insolation in some regions.

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Photovoltaics Restrictions and Drawbacks

Another important difference between thermal solar systems and
PV systems is that the latter are not subject to minimum size
restrictions; PVs are not subject to an upper size limit either
modularity of PVs

Cost
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is the major drawback of PVs

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Photovoltaics Largest Plants

http://www.pvresources.com/pvpowerplants/top50.aspx

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Photovoltaics Installations
PV Solar Installations By Country (GW)
Country

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2010

2011

2012

Germany

7.5

7.5

5.5

Italy

4.3

6.3

4.5

United States

0.9

1.9

3.8

Japan

0.9

1.3

2.5

France

0.6

1.8

1.5

China

0.6

2.8

4.5

Australia

0.4

0.8

1.0

India

0.1

0.6

1.5

ROTW

4.3

4.3

5.1

Total Market

19.6

27.3

29.9

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Photovoltaics Growth Worldwide

PV Solar Growth Worldwide

10%
40%
270%
80%

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30%

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Photovoltaics Growth in the US

US Solar PV Growth

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Photovoltaics Efficiency
The PV efficiency of todays commercially available solar cells for
terrestrial applications ranges up to 23%. Although this figure is
likely to rise in the coming years, the efficiency of PV installations is
limited by the laws of physics.

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Photovoltaics What is it all about?

https://www.google.com.lb/search?q=best+research-cell+efficiencies&oq=Best+Research&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.10175j0&sourceid=chrome&espvd=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8
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Photovoltaics BIPV
The price of a PV installation can be reduced somewhat by
integrating the system into a newly constructed building Building
Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) systems.

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Photovoltaics Production
Worldwide solar cell production has been rising at a rate of 30% to
85% annually since 1997, and reached 27 GW in 2010, up from
around 10 GW a year earlier, a 120% growth in the PV sector.
While it didnt grow as fast as
the previous year, global PV cell
production still grew and
reached a considerable 37 GW
in 2011, 36% more than the 27
GW produced in 2010.

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A Brief Glossary of Key PV Terms

Relevant Terminology Relating to Meteorology, Astronomy and Geometry

Solar radiation:
Radiation originating from Sun, in the 0.3 to 3 m wavelength spectrum

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A Brief Glossary of Key PV Terms

Relevant Terminology Relating to Meteorology, Astronomy and Geometry

Solar spectrum:
Distribution of solar radiation intensity as a function of wavelength or frequency

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A Brief Glossary of Key PV Terms

Relevant Terminology Relating to Meteorology, Astronomy and Geometry

Direct solar radiation:

Solar radiation arriving at a plane directly from the disc

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A Brief Glossary of Key PV Terms

Relevant Terminology Relating to Meteorology, Astronomy and Geometry
Diffuse solar radiation:
Solar radiation arriving at a plane after scattering by atmospheric particles (e.g.
water droplets, clouds, etc )

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A Brief Glossary of Key PV Terms

Relevant Terminology Relating to Meteorology, Astronomy and Geometry

Global solar radiation (Global irradiance G ):

The sum of direct and diffuse solar radiation arriving at a level surface

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A Brief Glossary of Key PV Terms

Relevant Terminology Relating to Meteorology, Astronomy and Geometry

Power density: (power/area)

Power density of the global
radiation arriving at a plane
(W/m2)

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A Brief Glossary of Key PV Terms

Relevant Terminology Relating to Meteorology, Astronomy and Geometry

Energy density: (energy/area)

Energy density of the global radiation arriving at a plane within a
certain time interval calculated by the integration of irradiance G
over this time interval (kWh/m2 or MJ/m2)
1 kWh = 3.6 MJ and 1MJ = 0.278 kWh

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A Brief Glossary of Key PV Terms

Relevant Terminology Relating to Meteorology, Astronomy and Geometry

Pyranometer:
Instrument for measuring the global solar radiation (global
irradiance G) on a level surface over the whole wavelength range
between approx. 0.3 and 3 m. (output in V/W/m2)

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A Brief Glossary of Key PV Terms

Relevant Terminology Relating to Meteorology, Astronomy and Geometry

Reference cell:
A calibrated solar cell for measuring global solar radiation G. A
reference cell replaces the expensive pyranometer.

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A Brief Glossary of Key PV Terms

Relevant Terminology Relating to Meteorology, Astronomy and Geometry

Solar altitude hs:

Angle between the direction of Sun (center of the solar disc) and
the horizontal plane.

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A Brief Glossary of Key PV Terms

Relevant Terminology Relating to Meteorology, Astronomy and Geometry

Solar azimuth s:
The solar azimuth angle is the angular distance between the zero
azimuth (either due South or due North, depending on what you
select on the input screen) and the projection of the line of sight to
the sun on the ground

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A Brief Glossary of Key PV Terms

Relevant Terminology Relating to Meteorology, Astronomy and Geometry

Solar generator tilt angle :

Angle between the solar cell plane and horizontal

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A Brief Glossary of Key PV Terms

Relevant Terminology Relating to Meteorology, Astronomy and Geometry

Relative air mass number (AM):

Air mass AM

1
p
.
sin(hs ) p0

where p = local air pressure and p0

= air pressure at sea level
AM1: hs = 90o
AM2: hs = 30o
AM1.1: hs = 65.4o AM3: hs = 19.5o
AM1.2: hs = 56.4o AM4: hs = 14.5o
AM1.5: hs = 41.8o
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A Brief Glossary of Key PV Terms

http://pveducation.org/pvcdrom/

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