Certification Training Course

CONFIDENTIAL

SESSION -1: PV Modules LIMITED USE

1. Introduction
2. Solar Fundamentals
3. PV Technologies
4. PV Modules
5. Inverters
6. Benefits of the PV

DRRG – PV Design and Installation Training Course

PV Modules

Goal

• The goal of this module is to present the main

characteristics of components of the PV
modules and make a comparison among
commercial models.

DRRG – PV Design and Installation Training Course

PV Modules
Solar Photovoltaic Power
Solar Photovoltaic Systems uses solar modules made of certain semiconducting materials that can
convert sunlight into electricity without intermediate stages and with no mechanical moving parts.

DRRG – PV Design and Installation Training Course

PV Modules
Pure silicon crystal lattice

Silicon crystal lattice diffused Silicon crystal lattice diffused

with boron impurities with phosphorus impurities
(p-type) (n-type)

DRRG – PV Design and Installation Training Course

PV Modules
Silicon p-n junction

DRRG – PV Design and Installation Training Course

PV Modules

The front contacts of each cell are soldered

with the back contacts of the next cell
+
-

PV Module PV Cells Stringing

- + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

PV Array
Disconnect PV String/Array

DRRG – PV Design and Installation Training Course

PV components:
main
characteristics

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PV Modules
PV components: main characteristics
PV modules are identified by their power at Standard Conditions (1000 W/m2
Irradiance & 25Co Cell Temperature ). While PV module characteristics exposed to
solar radiation is not linear and is defined by.

• Imp (maximum power current) = electric current at the conditions of maximum

power.

• Vmp (maximum power voltage) = voltage at the conditions of maximum power.

• Isc (short-circuit current) = electric current at the output terminals of a PV device

at a particular temperature and irradiance when the device output voltage is
equal to zero.

• Voc (open-circuit voltage) = voltage at the output terminals of a PV device at a

particular temperature and irradiance when the output electric current of the PV
device is zero.

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PV Modules

PV modules are identified by their power at Standard Conditions.

(Standard conditions = 1000 W/m2 Irradiance & 25Co Cell Temperature).

Voc

Isc

Ipm
Vpm

Vpm x Ipm = Pm

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PV Modules
PV components: main characteristics

• When the solar

radiation changes
the I-V curve varies
accordingly
• Isc and Imp vary
almost
proportionally with
solar irradiance
• Vmp and Voc
undergo much less
changes

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PV Modules
PV components: main characteristics

• The power output of the

PV device shows a strong
dependence on the I-V
curve parameters
• By varying irradiance, the
PV module presents
different peaks
corresponding to I-V curve
level

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PV Modules
PV components: main characteristics

Temperature dependence

• When the cell temperature increase,s Isc and Imp increase slightly
• On the contrary Vmp and Voc decrease significantly, approximately -2,3 mV/°C

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PV Modules
Temperature dependence

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PV Modules
PV components: main characteristics

Fill factor (FF)

• Dimensionless unit,
usually expressed as a
percentage (%)
• Ratio of maximum PV
device output power
(Vmp*Imp) to the product
of open-circuit voltage and
short-circuit electric
current
• The greater the fill factor
the more efficient the PV
module

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PV MODULES CHARACTERISTICS

Series
Connection

Parallel
Connection

DRRG – PV Design and Installation Training Course

PV MODULES CHARACTERISTICS

Series/Parallel
Connection

DRRG – PV Design and Installation Training Course

PV MODULES CHARACTERISTICS
Crystalline Silicon Solar Modules

Single-crystalline wafers typically have

Single-Crystalline better material parameters but are also
Efficiency: 15% to 19% more expensive. Crystalline silicon has an
ordered crystal structure, with each atom
ideally lying in a pre-determined position.
Crystalline silicon exhibits predictable and
uniform behavior but because of the careful
and slow manufacturing processes
required, it is also the most expensive type
of silicon.

DRRG – PV Design and Installation Training Course

PV MODULES CHARACTERISTICS
Crystalline Silicon Solar Modules

Multi-Crystalline Techniques for the production of multi-

Efficiency: 13% to 16% crystalline silicon are more simple, and
cheaper, than those required for single
crystal material. However, the material
quality of multi-crystalline material is lower
than that of single crystalline material due
to the presence of grain boundaries. Grain
boundaries reduce solar cell performance
by blocking carrier flows and providing
shunting paths for current flow across the
p-n junction.

DRRG – PV Design and Installation Training Course

PV MODULES CHARACTERISTICS

Thin-Film CIS Thin-Film a-Si

Efficiency: 9% to 11% Efficiency: 5% to 7%

Thin-Film CdTe
Efficiency: 8% to 10%

DRRG – PV Design and Installation Training Course

PV Modules
PV components: main characteristics

Parameter Crystalline silicon Thin film

Cell technology Mono-crystalline silicon (c-Si) Amorphous silicon (a-Si)
Poly-crystalline silicon (pc-Si/ Cadmium Telluride (CdTe)
mc-Si) Copper Indium (Gallium) diselenide
String Ribbon (CIS/ CIGS)
Organic photovoltaic (OPV/ DSC/
DYSC)
Module efficiency [%] 13 - 19 4 - 12

Power temperature -0.45 %/°C a-Si: -0.13 %/°C

coefficient (indicative) CdTe: -0.21 %/°C
CIGS: -0.36 %/°C
Fill factor [%] 73 - 82 60 - 68

Voltage Rating (Vmp/ 80 - 85 72 - 78

Voc) [%]

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PV MODULES CHARACTERISTICS
Concentrator Photovoltaic
Uses lenses to concentrate sunlight
500 times and focus it onto small,
highly efficient multi-junction solar
cells. With this technology, the CPV
achieves a module efficiency of
around 33%.
Needs a tracking system to follow the
sun.

DRRG – PV Design and Installation Training Course

Typical solar
panel as
example

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PV MODULES SHADING

No Shading Shading

Shading with by-pass diode

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PV MODULES SHADING

By-pass diodes in a PV Module

DRRG – PV Design and Installation Training Course

PV MODULE ENCASULATION

Glass is normally used to protect the PV cells

against mechanical stress, weather and
humidity. Also glass isolates the PV cells
electrically.

DRRG – PV Design and Installation Training Course

GLASS ENCAPSULATION

For better transparency, a special solar glass consists of clear glass low in iron oxide (below
0.015%) is generally used to cover the front side of PV strings. This allows up to 96% of the
light to penetrate.

In order to minimize sunlight reflection a certain anti-reflective coatings have been developed
to be used with solar glass.

> 4% < 1%

DRRG – PV Design and Installation Training Course

PV Modules
KYOCERA KD 250GH

• Framed glass-backsheet
• 60 cells multi-crystalline
• 3 bus-bar
• 250 Wp (+5% / -0%)
• Efficiency: 15.1%
• Locking plug-in connectors
• Dimensions: 1662×990×46 mm
• Weight: 20.0 kg
• Max load front/rear; 8.0/2.4 kPa

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PV Modules
KYOCERA KD 250GH

• Max system voltage: 1000 V

• Vmp: 29.8 V
• Imp: 8.39 A
• Voc: 36.9 A
• Isc: 9.09 V
• Max reverse current: 15 A
• Voc temp. coeff.: -0.36 %/K
• Isc temp. coeff.: +0.06 %/K
• Pm temp. coeff.: -0.46 %/K
• NOCT: 45 °C

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PV Modules
KYOCERA KD 250GH

Standards compliance

Standard Compliance Notes

IEC 61215  -
IEC 61730  Fire class C
IEC 61701  Severity level 6
IEC 61345  UV test
IEC 62716  Ammonia
corrosion testing
IEC 60068-2-68  Dust and sand

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