Spectral effects on latitude-tilt and vertical PV modules as affected by latitude, air mass, and climate

Christian A. Gueymard

doi:10.1117/12.735230

13 September 2007 Spectral effects on latitude-tilt and vertical PV modules as affected by latitude, air mass, and climate

Christian A. Gueymard

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 6652, Optical Modeling and Measurements for Solar Energy Systems; 66520C (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.735230
Event: Solar Energy + Applications, 2007, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Using the same SMARTS radiative code as for the development of improved reference spectra for PV rating, an analysis of the spectral sensitivity of specific PV technologies to varying air mass and other factors is presented. To the difference of previous studies, the approach taken here considers realistic atmospheric conditions, as measured at five North- American sites from widely different climatic zones. Two different PV applications (latitude-tilted flat-plates and vertical building-integrated modules) are showcased with seven possible materials, including a-Si, m-Si, and triple junctions. Considering the most frequent clear-sky conditions around the summer solstice at the selected sites, the Spectral Enhancement Factor (SEF) is calculated both for a fixed air mass (1.5) and daily-average spectral conditions. This analysis provides a preliminary assessment of how latitude, local climatic conditions, and PV geometry affect the relative merits of different technologies relatively to standard rating conditions. In particular, it is shown that, in summer, latitude-tilt PV modules experience bluer incident spectra than the reference spectrum, therefore favoring the a-Si modules (SEF > 1). For vertical-tilt PV systems, the SEF is generally lower than for latitude-tilt systems, with the notable exception of m- Si. When considering daily-average results, the effective SEF can become extremely low in the case of a-Si (down to 0.65) and moderately high for m-Si (up to 1.09). It is concluded that the effects of location, season, and PV material on the spectral effect needs to be investigated in detail, particularly for applications involving vertical building-integrated systems.

Citation Download Citation

Christian A. Gueymard "Spectral effects on latitude-tilt and vertical PV modules as affected by latitude, air mass, and climate", Proc. SPIE 6652, Optical Modeling and Measurements for Solar Energy Systems, 66520C (13 September 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.735230

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available