The characterization of the nominal power under real operating conditions is crucial for the correct evaluation of a photovoltaic generator. Several earlier studies proposed different methods based on empirical models for the estimation of the nominal power. These methods require experimental data obtained during optimal days under clear sky conditions and are not suitable for days deviating from these optimal conditions and, thus, generating a significant amount of noise in the data. In this sense, we propose a non-parametric statistical approach to filter out this noise to reliably estimate the real nominal power in the latter conditions. The period of study was 107 days. These were divided in two categories, clear and partly cloudy sky conditions. The results show that our statistical method allows to obtain the same nominal power under partly cloudy conditions as under clear sky. Thi...

We report on the optical bandgap engineering of sputtered hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) thin films under different hydrogen dilution conditions during the deposition process and after post-deposition annealing treatments. The Tauc-gap and Urbach energy are calculated from ultraviolet-visible optical transmittance measurements. Additionally, the effect of the thermal annealing temperature on the hydrogen out-diffusion is assessed through infra-red absorption spectroscopy. A new model for the optical absorption of amorphous semiconductors is presented and employed to determine the bandgap as well as the Urbach energy from a single fit of the absorption coefficient. This model allowed the discrimination of the Urbach tail from the Tauc region without any external bias. Finally, the effect of the hydrogen dilution on the band-edge and the Urbach focus is discussed.

This study presents for the first time the spectral impact on the performance of different photovoltaic (PV) technologies in Lima, Peru. We experimentally monitored the spectral distributions over one year (March 2019–February 2020). The average photon energy (APE) is calculated as a representative parameter to evaluate the spectral distributions. The spectral mismatch factor (MM) enables an estimation of the spectral gains of distinct PV technologies: amorphous silicon (a-Si), perovskite, cadmium telluride (CdTe), multicrystalline silicon (multi-Si), monocrystalline silicon (mono-Si) and copper indium gallium selenide with two distinct band-gaps (CIGS-1 and CIGS-2). We found that the annual APE has a value of 1.923 eV, indicating that the spectrum is shifted to shorter wavelengths. In contrast to studies performed in other locations, the spectral distribution shows relatively small mo...

This article presents the benefits of two simple analytical models for estimating the outdoor performance of three different photovoltaic technologies in Lima, Peru. The Osterwald and the constant fill factor models are implemented to estimate the maximum power delivered by three photovoltaic module technologies: aluminum back surface field, heterojunction with intrinsic thin-layer and amorphous/microcrystalline thin-film tandem. A 12-months experimental campaign is carried out through measurements of current-voltage curves, irradiance and module temperature. The results show that both models overestimate the modelled power when compared to the measured one. In order to correct the maximum power predicted by both models, a correction factor is introduced. This correction factor allows us to estimate losses and a respective effective nominal power to minimize the prediction error on a mon...