A three-year field experiment in which the performance and reliability of Passivated Emitter and Achter Cell (Perc), Tunneloxide-Passivated Contact (Topcon) and Silicium Heterojunction (SHJ) modules in desert climates were presented that HJT modules showed the highest detrimp, while Topcon-Con-Modulatie.
Scientists from Qatar’s Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU) have carried out an extensive three-year field experiment, in which the performance and reliability of perc, top cone and HJT zonnemodules in desert climates are compared. They rated the panels indoors and outdoors to evaluate the demolition in time, performance relationships and specific energy yields over seasons.
“While Perc serves as the industrial benchmark, Topcon and HJT technologies whose field performance and reliability are not sufficiently studied,” said researcher Maulid Kivambe said PV -Magazine. “The desert climate, characterized by high irradiation, increased temperatures, intense UV radiation, heavy pollution and high humidity, offers an ideal environment to gain critical insights into their Real-World energy yield, degradation mechanism and reliability at material level.”
The experiment included eight sets modules: one HJT monofacial panel, one HJT Bifacial, two topcon bifacial and four perc bifacial of non-commercial tier-1 manufacturers. The modules were installed in 6 module strings, each connected to an inverter that was operated with maximum power point tracking (MPPT).
The test field was in Doha, with a tilt of almost latitude of 22 degrees, facing south and with approximately 1.1 meters of ground freedom. The modules were tested in the field and after a year and three years in a laboratory.
“HJT modules, despite their high initial efficiency and favorable temperature coefficients, showed a breakdown rate of up to 8.73% for a period of three years,” said Kivambe. “It should be noted that the linear maximum power degradation of the manufacturer of the manufacturer was 0.25% per year, and the guarantee for power after 25 years was 92%.”
In general, HJT modules have demonstrated the highest demolition in power, with a loss of 8.73% for SHJ-M1 and a loss of 6.50% for SHJ-M5. Multicrystalline Perc and Cast-Mono Perc modules showed a higher relegation of the first year compared to monocrystalline Perc and Topcon modules. Topcon-M2 modules broken down with 0.14%, the lowest demolition of all modules.
Image: Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Solar Energy, CC by 4.0
“The study revealed significant variability in the reliability of Topcon modules. One model showed substantial demolition, while another showed the lowest breakdown among all tested modules,” said Kivambe. “This suggests that the reliability of Topcon modules in desert climates can highly depend on specific design choices, materials and production processes.”
Bifacial HJT and Topcon modules showed superior and consistent performance compared to PERC when measuring specific energy yield (Sey), especially during the summer months. In the winter, however, the energy yield gap between PERC and the more advanced technologies has been reduced.
“A certain perc model showed energy yield and performance relationships comparable to HJT and TOPcon modules in all seasons. This indicates that, with appropriate design and materials, PERC modules can perform competitive, even in desert environments,” Kivambe added.
The team compared the standard performance ratio (PR) with the temperature-corrected PR to analyze the loss of performance caused by heat. Their calculation showed the highest heat-related performance loss at 9.89% for Topcon-M2, while SHJ-M5 had the lowest loss percentage with 5%.
“We are planning to investigate the contact technologies (BC-Topcon and BC-HJT) because the industry is shifting to this technology,” said Kivambe. “We are also planning to supplement our findings with modeling to gain an insight into the degradation mechanisms and ways in which SHJ and Topcon PV modules can be optimized for reliability and improving sustainability.”
They presented their findings in “Extensive assessment of performance and reliability of perc, topcon and SHJ modules in desert climates“Which was recently published in Solar energy.
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