PI Photovoltaic-Institute Berlin Company portrait of PI-Berlin Photovoltaic Module Technology Testing Consulting Research
At a glance Name: PI Photovoltaic-Institute Berlin (share holding company) Inscription: 10/12/2006 Investment: 1.2 Mio (80% for lab equipment) Location: c/o TU Berlin, Einsteinufer 25, D-10587 Berlin, Germany Phone/Fax: +49 30 3142 5977 / +49 30 3142 6617 Founders: 9 PV-Specialists from industry and research Workforce: 4 Senior Consultants (in 2007: 15 workers) Milestones: Foundation October 2006 Cooperation contract TU Berlin February 2007 Start of lab Q1 2007 Own R&D projects Q4 2007
Persons Senior Consultants und Board of Directors: Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Arp, Engineer-Economist in mechanical engineering Experience: Sputnik Engineering Inverters, Abastrial Solar Consulting Berlin Dr. rer. nat. Paul Grunow, Physicist Experience: Founder of Solon AG, Q-Cells AG Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Krauter, Electrical Engineer Experience: Professor at TU Berlin and UFRJ/UECE Brazil, Director of Rio Solar Ltd., LAREF, RIO 02/3/5/6 Dipl.-Ing. Sven Lehmann, Electrical Engineer Experience : Energiebiss, Solon AG, SolarExperts Berlin Head of supervisory board: Prof. Dr. Rolf Hanitsch (TU, EE)
Laboratory Equipment (Q1 2007) Testing - Class A flasher and spectral response set-up for precision measurements - Climatic chambers 2m x 3m x 2m (heat-damp, thermal cycling, humidity freeze) - Continuous light simulator class C (Hot spot, degradation) - Outdoor measurement test site - UV test - Wet leakage isolation test, Dielectrimeter - Mechanical testing (load, twist, hail, scratch) - Bypass diode reverse load test - (fire test stage) Characterization & Development - Laminator - IR-camera for failure detection - Soldering lab - 2 additional characterization set-ups (n.n.) Fig.1: Out-door measurement set-up in Berlin
Laboratory in April 2007 23.4 m Climatic chamber 1 temperature cycling Climatic chamber 2 humidtiycold cycling Climatic chamber 3 humidityheat cycling Load table 7.7 m 2.8 m Laminator UV test Steady -State- Simul. Unlod table
The three pillars of PI s business Testing of modules - Power at Standard Test Conditions STC (Class A simulator) - Energy yield (Temperature, non-perpendicular and low irradiance performance, Spectral effects, degradation) - Reliability (combined test cycles according to IEC 61215/IEC 61646) Consulting in module technology - Product-Assessment und market analyses - Failure analysis - Training (Product manger, distribution, developers) R&D in module technology - New materials and production processes for thin film encapsulation - advanced connection technology for cells based on wafers (thin, back contact) - Quality safeguard for module production
Service 1: Measurements (Q1 2007) Precision measurements modules up to 2 x 1.4 m² < ±3% Standard measurements modules up to 2 x 1.4 m² > ±3% Isolation test (6,000 V): wet leakage Spectral response module or cell EVA curing analysis > 5g EVA Load tests (UV, mechanical load, hail) Climatic tests (Temperature cycles, damp-heat, damp-cold) Pre-testing for IEC 61215/61730 and IEC 61646 with multiple cycles for product comparison
Power output prediction via operation model ( Research Service) Standard Test Conditions STC: PV module power output at 25 C, 1,000 W/m², AM 1.5 g direct Typical measurement duration: 10ms non-stc Temperature performance Non-perpendicular incidence Low irradiance level Spectral effects Degradation and regeneration -> electrical energy yield (kwh/a kw p ) Is predictable for silicon technology For thin film technology more difficult: Indoor test outdoor performance [Krauter &Grunow 21th PVSEC (2006), p.2065]
Temperature effects module eff. Tkoeff Pmax coeff. Current coeff. Voltage coff FF NOCT a-si (triple) 5.3% -0.20%/K 0.11%/K -0.32%/K 0.02%/K 45.1 a-si (tandem) 5.2% -0.20%/K 0.07%/K -0.30%/K 0.03%/K 49.0 CdTe 7.7% -0.23%/K 0.05%/K -0.30%/K 0.02%/K 45.1 a-si (single) 5.5% -0.24%/K 0.09%/K -0.33%/K 0.00%/K 47.7 DSC 0.8% -0.30%/K 0.50%/K -0.30%/K -0.50%/K 40.0 HIT 15.1% -0.31%/K 0.03%/K -0.25%/K -0.08%/K 49.0 mono Si 11.6% -0.41%/K 0.05%/K -0.39%/K -0.08%/K 45.8 CIS 9.1% -0.44%/K 0.04%/K -0.34%/K -0.13%/K 47.0 multi Si 11.8% -0.44%/K 0.05%/K -0.39%/K -0.10%/K 45.0 multi EFG Si 11.6% -0.47%/K 0.10%/K -0.41%/K -0.16%/K 46.3 Ribbon Si 10.0% -0.47%/K 0.06%/K -0.49%/K -0.03%/K 44.0 mono LGBC 13.3% -0.49%/K 0.05%/K -0.45%/K -0.09%/K 47.0 Apex 7.6% -0.52%/K 0.08%/K -0.49%/K -0.12%/K 45.7 [Photon International 03/2006]
Non-perpendicular incidence 100% 90% Isc/cos 80% 70% 60% 50% Q6L Diamant Q6L Alberino T Q6L Alberino P 40% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 incident angle [Grunow et al. 20th EPVSEC (2005) p.2384]
Performance for low irradiance levels European Efficiency 15% 14% 13% 1 10 100 1000 R shunt in (for a 150mm cell) calc. cells N = 1.2 Rs = 5.3 m measured cells calc. modules n= 1.2 Rs = 7.8m measured modules [Grunow et al. 19th EPVSEC (2004), p.2190]
Relative spectral performance vs. AM 1.5 direct 30% 20% µ-si a-si/µ-si 10% CIGS a-si/a-ge a-si/µ-si a-si/µ-si CIGS CdTe 0% µ-si CdTe CIGS a-si/a-ge -10% CdTe -20% a-si/a-ge a-si/a-ge a-si/a-ge a-si/a-ge CdTe CdTe CdTe CdTe a-si/µ-si a-si/µ-si CIGS a-si/µ-si µ-si µ-si µ-si a-si/µ-si CIGS CIGS µ-si CIGS a-si/µ-si µ-si CdTe CIGS a-si/a-ge multi c-si acidic multi c-si mono c-si a-si/a-ge -30% direct AM1.0 direct AM2.0 direct AM5.6 diffuse AM 1.0 diffuse AM 1.5 diffuse AM 2.0 diffuse AM 5.6 [Krauter et al. 21th PVSEC (2006), p.2065]
Degradation/Regeneration technology 1h of light soaking at 1,000 W/m² c-si 0.0% a-si single -0.3% a-si tandem +0.2% a-si/µ-si -0.8% CIS1-2.2% CIS2 +17.2% CdTe +3.6% [Herrmann, PERFORMANCE IP, ISPRA Workshop on Thin Film Module Technology 8./9. Nov 2006]
Setback analysis of modules via electroluminescence (use of solar cell as IR-LED)
PI s position in the PV market Retailer Module producer Cell producer R&D; Testing, Consulting Thin film start up & producer Operator PI-Berlin Product developer & Investor > Independent testing and certification Institute > R&D service provider for cost reduction in module technology (=Encapsulation)
Thank you very much! arp@pi-berlin.com, grunow@pi-berlin.com, lehmann@pi-berlin.com, krauter@pi-berlin.com