The Durable Module Materials consortium (DuraMAT) introduced in its newest annual report the supply of recent PV forecasting instruments, and new analysis outcomes in the direction of the objective of extra dependable PV modules.
The Durable Module Materials (DuraMAT) consortium, based by the United States Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technology Office (SETO), has launched its newest annual report with information concerning the availability of recent forecasting instruments. of PV and new analysis on some module degradation developments.
DuraMAT reviews the outcomes of its give attention to predicting reliability to 2023, pushed by the commentary that the PV trade is “altering so shortly that the manufacturing of modules within the area is not at all times a dependable indicator of whether or not what is going to occur sooner or later.”
“We awarded six tasks beneath our reliability forecasting name this yr,” mentioned Teresa Barnes, DuraMAT director and researcher on the DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in a press launch.
Reliability prediction tasks give attention to ultraviolet-induced degradation, glass fracture mechanics, and encapsulant degradation mechanisms, in addition to tips on how to carry out quicker failure information evaluation. As a end result, DuraMAT now has a set of software program instruments and information units, a few of which depend on quantitative modeling and fast validation applied sciences. The instruments cowl subjects resembling mechanical fashions for supplies, wind loading, fracture mechanics, moisture diffusion, and irradiance, and can be found within the DuraMAT Data Hub.
“Drawing insights from all of those areas ought to give us the power to foretell the long-term reliability of recent module designs,” Barnes mentioned.
Two degradation mechanisms receiving particular consideration from DuraMAT in 2023 are cell cracking and ultraviolet (UV) degradation. “Broken cells are a problem for the photo voltaic trade as a result of they will cut back output however typically go unnoticed,” the crew mentioned. Studies have been carried out to quantify and resolve cell cracking.
“Researchers have discovered that some newer modules with extra busbars, half-cut cells, and glass-glass encapsulation are extra tolerant of cracked cells and present much less energy loss,” it mentioned. The results of the analysis is WhatsCracking, a free cell fracture prediction utility to assist create modules which might be much less delicate to cell breakage. For instance, designing modules that rotate the center cells at 90-degree angles to scale back the possibility of breaking beneath load, as reported by pv journal. The WhatsCracking app is among the instruments within the DuraMAT Data Hub.
DuraMAT researchers additionally discovered that UV-induced degradation is a big challenge with some high-efficiency merchandise. “These outcomes are essential, as a result of the extra harm related to UV publicity in trendy cell sorts could offset among the positive factors predicted from bifacial and different high-efficiency cells. ,” mentioned the crew, including that DuraMAT will start new work to measure this. kind of degradation in 2024.
The DuraMAT consortium, led by DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), with the participation of Sandia National Laboratories and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, features a 22-member board of photo voltaic trade professionals.
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