Hot spot investigations on PV modules -- New concepts for a test standard and consequences for module design with respect to bypass diodes
- TUV Rheinland Sicherheit und Umweltschutz GmbH, Cologne (Germany)
One of the technical requirements of PV modules for qualification according to the standard IEC 1215 is fulfillment of the pass criteria of the hot spot endurance test. A hot spot situation is existent when a solar cell within a module generates less current than the string current of the module or of the PV generator. This occurs when the cell is totally or partially shaded, damaged, or when cells are electrically mismatched. The shaded cell becomes reverse biased and dissipates power in the form of heat. This article focuses on failures due to cell shading which may occur during operation of a PV system. Whereas in the past publications mainly dealt with the physical process of hot-spots, the numerical simulation of the current-voltage characteristics of PV modules with shaded cells, energy output losses and hot spot susceptibility, this article focuses on the following points: the characterization of commercial silicon cells under reverse biased conditions, the worst case hot-spot conditions for a PV module, a new method for determining the worst case cell within a module for hot-spot testing, and requirements for bypass diode concepts to ensure the hot-spot endurance of modules.
- OSTI ID:
- 304449
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970953-; TRN: IM9905%%141
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 26. IEEE photovoltaic specialists conference, Anaheim, CA (United States), 29 Sep - 3 Oct 1997; Other Information: PBD: 1997; Related Information: Is Part Of Conference record of the twenty sixth IEEE photovoltaic specialists conference -- 1997; PB: 1477 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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