Experimental assessment of Poly C-Si, CIGS and CdTe Photovoltaic technologies under real working conditions

Abstract

Tested by the manufacturer, the electrical characteristics of PV modules are rated at the Standard Test Conditions (STC; 1000 W/m2 and 25 °C). But under real working conditions where the temperature and the irradiance are different from those of STC, the electrical specifications are definitely affected. Which in turn, affect the conversion efficiency and the Fill factor (FF). Here, the conversion efficiency and the FF of three different PV modules technologies: Poly-Crystalline Silicon (Poly C-Si), Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) and Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) under STC and real working conditions of solar irradiance and temperature are evaluated based on real data, then analyzed. To this, a test facility is employed to carry out the required tests for the aforementioned PV technologies. The investigation presented in this paper aims to seek which PV technology is preferable in a specific level of irradiance and temperature. © 2019 IEEE.