9781119992851

This book gives a broad overview to the topic before looking at solar radiation and its energy potential. The design and operation of solar cells are treated in detail, but only so far as it is necessary to understand operation and possible operational problems of photovoltaic (PV) plants and to appreciate possible further technical developments and improvements in the future. The layout and construction of entire photovoltaic plants (both stand-alone and grid-connected systems) are covered in one chapter. The methods and procedures for the design of stand-alone systems and calculation of the yield of grid-connected PV plants with pocket calculators or readily available standard software programs are also shown. For many locations in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the rest of Europe, North America and Asia, the data that are needed for such calculations can be found in the book. For some grid-connected PV plants detailed, long-term monitoring data that were measured over many years (up to 14 years) are provided. Unique to this book, lightening and overvoltage protection of PV plants is reported, as is a normalized representation of energy yield and power of PV plants. The book concludes with a summary and a look toward the future of this technology.

Professor Heinrich Häberlin, Engineering and Information Technology, Berne University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland
Professor Häberlin is the head of the photovoltaics laboratory at the Berne University of Applied Sciences (BFH). He obtained his academic degrees from the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, where he also worked several years as an assistant and assistant-in chief. After some years in the industry he took up his present appointment at BFH. He has been active in education and research in photovoltaic systems technology for about 20 years, has authored more than 125 scientific publications and is a member of Electrosuisse and IEC TC82, the international commission for PV standards.

Translated by Herbert Eppel at HE Translations, Leicester, UK (https://HETranslations.uk) DISCLAIMER: By including the link to this site, this does not mean the site is endorsed by Wiley

Foreword xiii
Preface xv
About the Author xvii
Acknowledgements xix
Note on the Examples and Costs xxi
List of Symbols xxiii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Photovoltaics – What’s It All About? 1
1.2 Overview of This Book 1
1.3 A Brief Glossary of Key PV Terms 10
1.4 Recommended Guide Values for Estimating PV System Potential 14
1.5 Examples 24
1.6 Bibliography 25
2 Key Properties of Solar Radiation 27
2.1 Sun and Earth 27
2.2 Extraterrestrial Radiation 31
2.3 Radiation on the Horizontal Plane of the Earth’s Surface 32
2.4 Simple Method for Calculating Solar Radiation on Inclined Surfaces 39
2.5 Radiation Calculation on Inclined Planes with Three-Component Model 49
2.6 Approximate Annual Energy Yield for Grid-Connected PV Systems 68
2.7 Composition of Solar Radiation 71
2.8 Solar Radiation Measurement 71
2.9 Bibliography 76
3 Solar Cells: Their Design Engineering and Operating Principles 79
3.1 The Internal Photoelectric Effect in Semiconductors 79
3.2 A Brief Account of Semiconductor Theory 81
3.3 The Solar Cell: A Specialized Semiconductor Diode With a Large Barrier Layer that is Exposed to Light 86
3.4 Solar Cell Efficiency 94
3.5 The Most Important Types of Solar Cells and the Attendant Manufacturing Methods 108
3.6 Bifacial Solar Cells 122
3.7 Examples 122
3.8 Bibliography 124
4 Solar Modules and Solar Generators 127
4.1 Solar Modules 127
4.2 Potential Solar Cell Wiring Problems 138
4.3 Interconnection of Solar Modules and Solar Generators 149
4.4 Solar Generator Power Loss Resulting from Partial Shading and Mismatch Loss 160
4.5 Solar Generator Structure 166
4.6 Examples 217
4.7 Bibliography 221
5 PV Energy Systems 223
5.1 Stand-alone PV Systems 223
5.2 Grid-Connected Systems 262
5.3 Bibliography 389
6 Protecting PV Installations Against Lightning 395
6.1 Probability of Direct Lightning Strikes 395
6.2 Lightning Strikes: Guide Value; Main Effects 398
6.3 Basic Principles of Lightning Protection 400
6.4 Shunting Lightning Current to a Series of Down-conductors 402
6.5 Potential Increases; Equipotential Bonding 404
6.6 Lightning-Current-Induced Voltages and Current 408
6.7 PV Installation Lightning Protection Experiments 432
6.8 Optimal Sizing of PV Installation Lightning Protection Devices 459
6.9 Recommendations for PV Installation Lightning Protection 470
6.1 Recap and Conclusions 484
6.11 Bibliography 485
7 Standardized Representation of Energy and Power of PV Systems 487
7.1 Introduction 487
7.2 Standardized Yield, Losses and Performance Ratio 487
7.3 Normalized Diagrams for Yields and Losses 491
7.4 Normalized PV Installation Power Output 495
7.5 Anomaly Detection Using Various Types of Diagrams 502
7.6 Recap and Conclusions 506
7.7 Bibliography 506
8 PV Installation Sizing 507
8.1 Principal of and Baseline Values for Yield Calculations 507
8.2 Energy Yield Determination for Grid-Connected Systems 523
8.3 Sizing PV Installations that Integrate a Battery Pack 533
8.4 Insolation Calculation Freeware 549
8.5 Simulation Software 550
8.6 Bibliography
9 The Economics of Solar Power 551
9.1 How Much Does Solar Energy Cost? 553
9.2 Grey Energy; Energy Payback Time; Yield Factor 562
9.3 Bibliography 566
10 Performance Characteristics of Selected PV Installations 569
10.1 Energy Yield Data and Other Aspects of Selected PV Installations 569
10.2 Long Term Comparison of Four Swiss PV Installations 614
10.3 Long Term Energy Yield of the Burgdorf Installation 617
10.4 Mean PV Installation Energy Yield in Germany 619
10.5 Bibliography 620
11 In Conclusion… 623
Annex A: Calculation Tables and Insolation Data 633
A1 Insolation Calculation Tables 633
A2 Aggregate Monthly Horizontal Global Irradiance 634
A3 Global Insolation for Various Reference Locations 634
A4 R_B Factors for Insolation Calculations Using the Three-Component Model 648
A5 Shading Diagrams for Various Latitudes 673
A6 Energy Yield Calculation Tables 676
A7 kT and kG Figures for Energy Yield Calculations 681
A8 Insolation and Energy Yield Calculation Maps 683
A8.1 Specimen polar shading diagram
Appendix B: Links; Books; Acronyms; etc. 691
B1 Links to PV Web Sites 691
B2 Books on Photovoltaic and Related Areas 693
B3 Acronyms 695
B4 Prefixes for Decimal Fractions and Metric Multiples 696
B5 Conversion Factors 696
B6 Key Physical Constants 696
Index 697

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Photovoltaics System Design and Practice

Photovoltaics System Design and Practice

1119992850

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