UNDERSTANDING TEMPERATURE EFFECTS ON PV SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

Thomas Nordmann, Luzi Clavadetscher, luzic@tnc.ch, nordmann@tnc.ch TNC Consulting AG, Seestrasse 141, CH-8703 Erlenbach, Switzerland.

ABSTRACT Within the framework of Task 2 of the Photovoltaic Power System Programme (PVPS) of the International Energy Agency (IEA) performance results of grid-connected and stand-alone PV systems in different countries have been compared. In this paper the effect of the elevated cell-temperature on the annual performance of 18 selected grid-connected PV systems of different mounting (freestanding, roofmounted and integrated PV facades) from different geographic location in 5 countries are analysed. Annual datasets of hourly data have been used for this in depth analysis. 1. INTRODUCTION The IEA PVPS Database now contains monitored monthly datasets from 370 PV systems of different technologies, located in 15 countries [1] [2]. About 48 % of these are mounted on a sloped roof, 45 % are freestanding, mounted on a flat roof or on a soundbarrier and 6 % are on a facade. The degree of building integration varies from non to highly integrated. Some of the datasets in the IEA PVPS Database contain the measured mean module temperature. By using annual datasets of hourly monitored data it was possible to determine the rise in module temperature with the irradiation and also the quantify the energy losses due to elevated module temperature for specific type of mounting. 2. PLANTS INVESTIGATED

The 18 grid connected PV plants investigated are located in Austria, Germany, Italy, Japan and Switzerland. The monitored annual datasets were supplied by the Task 2 members of each country. All the 18 plants are grid-connected systems and the modules are made from crystalline silicone cells. The types of mounting are grouped in 4 main types: Facade (integrated) Sloped roof Freestanding Flat roof

3. MODULE TEMPERATURE The following figures (2 to 6) show the rise of the module temperature (Tm - Tam) in respect to the irradiation for the different types of mounting. The figures represent hourly data during the operation of the plant over one year. For each type of mounting two samples are shown, usually one with high and one with a low module temperature. A wide spread in cluster of points would indicate influences other than the irradiation, such as wind or airflow. 3.1 Sloped roof, highly integrated The plant Stadelhofen in Switzerland (figure 2) shows a high module temperature. The cells are mounted on the inside of a compound insulation glass of a slightly sloped roof. It seems that there is little air circulation inside the building in the roof area. The maximum measured module temperature was 85C and the mean rise in temperature from ambient is about 55 K at 1000 W/m2. This plant showed the highest module temperature of the plants compared, this results in an annual loss of 11.3 %. The integrated compound modules are part of the architectural design and provide daylight in corridor of a school building.
60

Facade 5 4
kwh / kWp * d

Sloped roof

Freestanding

Flat roof 100 80 60 40 20 0

Temperature [C], PR [%]

3 2 1 0
Aachen Nagoya City 4 Klammt AG Stadtmhle F Zulehner Marzili Muttenz Domat Wildkogelbahn Hiroshima-City Stadtmhle R Bolzano Becker Stadelhofen Portugaller Bologna Buchinger Laus

Delta T, T_m - T_am [K]

50 40 30 20 10 Stadelhofen 0 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2

Conversion Losses Performance

System Losses Availability

Final Yield

Modultemperature

Irradiation, G_i [kW/m^2]

Figure 1, shows the annual values of the normalised losses and yields, the performance, the availability of the plant and the module temperature of the 18 plants analysed.

Figure 2, rise in the module temperature from ambient, plant Stadelhofen Switzerland.

3.2 Facade, integrated

50 50

Delta T, T_m - T_am [K]

40 30 20 10 Zulehner 0 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 Irradiation, G_i [kW/m^2]

Delta T, T_m - T_am [K]

Figure 3 shows the module temperature of two facade integrated systems in Germany. The facade elements of the plant Aachen are partly transparent compound glass insulation modules like on the plant Stadelhofen. There seems to be a free airflow on the inside of the building, resulting in a lower cell temperature. The facade of the plant Klammt AG consists of opaque, insulated PV-cladding elements with an air-gap between the module and the insulation for cooling the air-gap seems to narrow for proper cooling, resulting in a higher cell temperature. The typical rise in module temperature from ambient for the 3 integrated facade system is between 46 and 52 K and the annual temperature losses are between 5 and 7 %.

40 30 20 10 Bolzano 0 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 Irradiation, G_i [kW/m^2]

Figure 5, rise in the module temperature from ambient, plants Zulehner in Austria and the plant Bolzano in Italy. 4. TEMPERATURE LOSSES For the purpose of comparison only the data during the full operation of the plant were used for the calculation of the values represented in figure 6. Any large differences in the conversion losses (LC) are due to shading, partial disconnection of strings or disconnection single inverters in multi inverter systems.

50

50

Delta T, T_m - T_am [K]

40 30 20 10 Aachen 0 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 Irradiation, G_i [kW/m^2]

Delta T, T_m - T_am [K]

40 30 20 10 Klammt AG 0 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 Irradiation, G_i [kW/m^2]

Facade 100% 80% 60%

Sloped roof

Freestanding

Flat roof 50 40 30 20 10 0

Figure 3, rise in the module temperature from ambient, plants Achen and Klammt AG in Germany. 3.3 Sloped Roof Figure 4, is an example of a well cooled and not so well cooled sloped roof system. The range of the rise of temperature from ambient in the systems investigated is between 20 and 34 K and the temperature losses range from 1.7 to 7 %. The cooling of a PV array mounted in a sloped roof depends on the level of integration or on the size of the air-gap between the roof and the modules.
50 50

40% 20% 0%

Wildkogelbahn

Hiroshima-City

Nagoya City 4

Temperature Losses Conversion Losses Modultemperature

System Losses Final Yield Ambient Temperature

Delta T, T_m - T_am [K]

40 30 20 10 Buchinger 0 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 Irradiation, G_i [kW/m^2]

Delta T, T_m - T_am [K]

40 30 20

Figure 6, yield and losses as percentages, mean daytime ambient temperature and mean module temperature for 18 the plants investigated.
Losses Temperature 60 40 20 0 -20 -40
Sloped roof, highly integrated Facade Sloped roof Freestanding Flat roof

10 Becker 0 Irradiation, G_i [kW/m^2]

16% 12% 8% 4% 0% -4%

Stadtmhle R

Aachen

Stadtmhle F

Klammt AG

Stadelhofen

Buchinger

Portugaller

Zulehner

Bologna

Bolzano

Muttenz

Becker

Domat

Marzili

Laus

Temperature [C]
Rise in Temperature [K]

Figure 4, rise in the module temperature from ambient, plants Buchinger and Becker in Austria. 3.4 Freestanding and Flat Roof Freestanding and flat roof systems usually allow a free airflow around the modules and have therefore lower temperature losses. Of the freestanding and flat roof systems analysed the temperature rise is between 20 and 28 K and the temperature losses between 1.7 and 5 %

Figure 7, is an overview of the results of all the 18 PV systems, showing the temperature losses and the rise in module temperature from ambient (K at 1000 W/m2) grouped by the type of mounting.

Temperature Loss

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8

1.2

Plants analysed
Tilt Mounting Name Country [ ] Sloped roof highly integrated Stadelhofen Faade integrated integrated integrated Sloped roof Aachen Klammt AG Stadtmhle F Becker Bologna Buchinger Hiroshima City Wildkogelbahn Soundbarrier Freestanding Freestanding Other Flat roof Domat Nagoya City 4 Portugaller Zulehner Bolzano Laus Marzili Muttenz Stadtmhle R CHE DEU DEU CHE AUT ITA AUT JPN AUT CHE JPN AUT AUT ITA AUT CHE CHE CHE 50 40 39 35 45 25 5 90 90 90 30 24 26 19 26 45 10 Power P0 [kW] 9.4 4.0 20.1 16.4 3.2 2.3 1.8 2.9 4.7 104.0 3.6 1.3 2.0 1.6 2.4 22.7 21.2 15.0

Annual Mean Temperatures Module Temperature Irradiation Ambient Ambient Module Maximum Daytime Hi [kWh / m2] 896 785 852 731 1359 1138 1250 1450 1407 1522 1338 1300 1157 1344 1151 1290 1164 1092 11 10 8 11 10 19 1 10 17 9 9 11 10 T am [C] 13 T am, d [C] 17 17 15 16 14 22 16 23 6 14 21 15 15 16 17 16 15 15 Tm [C] 51 40 41 37 37 38 29 41 20 31 36 33 29 34 35 34 31 31 T m, max [C] 85 67 64 65 64 61 57 70 48 54 65 57 59 58 64 55 58 61 Rise T m, Hi [K/kWh/m2] 55 46 52 46 34 23 20 31 22 24 26 25 20 27 25 25 25 28 Temperature Loss L
t

PR [%] 80 62 59 82 63 83 68 74 74 82 82 52 70 75 78 74 78 79

f, a

[%] 11.3 6.4 7.2 5.3 5.2 5.5 1.7 7.0 -2.1 2.8 5.0 3.7 1.7 4.0 4.2 3.8 2.8 2.5

[kWh/kWp] 720 486 506 599 852 946 849 1073 1047 1241 1098 670 813 1004 893 956 911 859

Table 1, key performance and temperature data of the systems analysed. Of some systems only daytime data was available and therefore the annual mean ambient temperature is missing. Of the 18 systems analysed 17 showed an annual temperature losses ranging from 1.7 % to 11.3 %. One alpine system, Wildkogelbahn in Austria, due to low ambient temperature, has a temperature gain of 2 %. A well cooled PV array can have a temperature rise of about 20 K and a temperature loss of less than 3 %. Figure 7 shows clearly that the type of mounting and the manner of integration can have a significant influence on the rise in module temperature and the temperature losses. 5. MONTHLY DATA
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 50 40 30 20 10 0
Temperature Losses (5%)

Figure 8 is typical example of the monthly variation of the module temperature and the temperature losses. This plant in Japan is located in an area with high daytime temperatures in the summer months. The temperature losses range from 11 % in July to a gain of 3.6 % in January (figure 9). Figure 10 shows the annual values for the final yield, system losses, conversion losses and the temperature losses.
12% Temperature Losses

8%

4%

0%

-4%

Temperature [C]

10

20 30 40 50 Modultemperature

60

Figure 9, mean module temperature vs. temperature losses, plant Nagoya City 4 in Japan.

September

January

October

May

August

March

November

December

February

June

April

July

Conversion Losses (7%) System Losses (5%)

Temperature Losses Conversion Losses Modultemperature

System Losses Final Yield Ambient Temperature

Final Yield (83%)

Figure 8, yield and losses as percentages, mean daytime ambient temperature and mean module temperature, monthly values of a freestanding plant, Nagoya City 4 in Japan.

Figure 10, annual yield and losses, plant Nagoya City 4 in Japan.

6. CONCLUSIONS The analyses of these 18 grid-connected PV systems showed the importance of the optimal mounting and in the case of building integration a well designed layout to achieve an efficient cooling of the PV-modules. Freestanding and flat roof mounted systems show the lowest rise in temperature. Sloped roof systems need a free airflow between the roof and the modules. Integrated facade systems require a high degree of sophistication to get sufficient cooling of the modules. Analysing PV systems data from various sources, it became clear that optimal placement of the temperature sensor for the ambient and module temperature is important. It also seems that the DC-power measurement is the most difficult to get reliable results.

The authors wish to thank their colleagues from IEA PVPS Task 2 for supplying the data for this study.

7. REFERENCES [1] IEA PVPS Task 2 Report, Analysis of Photovoltaic Systems, Report IEA-PVPS T2-01: 2000, April 2000. [2] IEA PVPS Task 2 Report, Operational Performance, Reliability and Promotion of PV Systems, June 2002. [3] IEA PVPS Task 2, Performance Database, May 2003, www.task2.org. [3] Guidelines for the Assessment of Photovoltaic Plants, Document A and Document B, June 1993, JRC, Ispra Italy. [4] International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC): Standard IEC 61724, Photovoltaic System Performance Monitoring - Guidelines for Measurement, Data Exchange and Analysis. [5] H. Hberlin and Ch. Beutler, Normalized Representation of Energy and Power for Analysis of Performance and On-line Error Detection in PV-Systems. Proc. 13th EU PV Conference, Nice, 1995.