The texture or patterning of soil on PV surfaces may influence light capture at various angles of incidence (AOI). Accumulated soil can be considered a microshading element, which changes with respect to AOI. Laboratory deposition of simulated soil was used to prepare test coupons for simultaneous AOI and soiling loss experiments. A mixed solvent deposition technique was used to consistently deposit patterned test soils onto glass slides. Transmission decreased as soil loading and AOI increased. Dense aggregates significantly decreased transmission. However, highly dispersed particles are less prone to secondary scattering, improving overall light collection. In order to test AOI losses on relevant systems, uniform simulated soil coatings were applied to split reference cells to further examine this effect. The measured optical transmission and area coverage correlated closely to the observed ISC. Angular losses were significant at angles as low as 25°.
A comprehensive evaluation and experimental optimization of the FireFly{trademark} 600 off-grid photovoltaic system manufactured by Energia Total, Ltd. was conducted at Sandia National Laboratories in May and June of 2001. This evaluation was conducted at the request of the manufacturer and addressed performance of individual system components, overall system functionality and performance, safety concerns, and compliance with applicable codes and standards. A primary goal of the effort was to identify areas for improvement in performance, reliability, and safety. New system test procedures were developed during the effort.
The rating and modeling of photovoltaic PW module performance has been of concern to manufacturers and system designers for over 20 years. Both the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) have developed methodologies to predict module and array performance under actual operating conditions. This paper compares the two methods of determining the performance of PV modules, The methods translate module performance to actual or reference conditions using slightly different approaches. The accuracy of both methods is compared for both hourly, daily, and annual energy production over a year of data recorded at NREL in Golden, CO. The comparison of the two methods will be presented for five different PV module technologies.