Version 1
: Received: 3 May 2017 / Approved: 4 May 2017 / Online: 4 May 2017 (08:34:15 CEST)
Version 2
: Received: 9 May 2017 / Approved: 10 May 2017 / Online: 10 May 2017 (04:32:43 CEST)
Quansah, D.A.; Adaramola, M.S.; Takyi, G.; Edwin, I.A. Reliability and Degradation of Solar PV Modules—Case Study of 19-Year-Old Polycrystalline Modules in Ghana. Technologies2017, 5, 22.
Quansah, D.A.; Adaramola, M.S.; Takyi, G.; Edwin, I.A. Reliability and Degradation of Solar PV Modules—Case Study of 19-Year-Old Polycrystalline Modules in Ghana. Technologies 2017, 5, 22.
Quansah, D.A.; Adaramola, M.S.; Takyi, G.; Edwin, I.A. Reliability and Degradation of Solar PV Modules—Case Study of 19-Year-Old Polycrystalline Modules in Ghana. Technologies2017, 5, 22.
Quansah, D.A.; Adaramola, M.S.; Takyi, G.; Edwin, I.A. Reliability and Degradation of Solar PV Modules—Case Study of 19-Year-Old Polycrystalline Modules in Ghana. Technologies 2017, 5, 22.
Abstract
Fourteen (14) rack-mounted polycrystalline modules installed on the concrete roof of the solar energy applications laboratory at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana, a hot humid environment were assessed after 19 years of continuous outdoor expodure. The physical state of the modules was documented using a visual inspection checklist. They were further assessed by current-voltage (I-V) characterization and thermal imaging. The modules were found to be in good physical state, except some bubbles on front side and minor discolouration/corrosion at edge of the cells. Compared with reference values, the performance decline of the modules observed over the exposure period was: nominal power (Pnom), 21% to 35%; short circuit current (Isc), 5.8% to 11.7%; open circuit voltage (Voc) 3.6% to 5.6% and 11.9% to 25.7% for fill factor (FF). It is hoped that this study will provide some helpful information to project developers, manufacturers and the research community on the long-term performance of PV modules in Ghana.
Keywords
solar PV; module; degradation; characterization; I-V curve
Subject
Engineering, Energy and Fuel Technology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
