Spectral Factor of Colored Solar Cells: A Case Study on the Main Urban Areas in Romania
PV modules for Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) applications are made of different colors aimed at raising the visual aesthetic of the building. But a colored coating applied to the surface of a basic PV module is inherently associated to a decrease in conversion efficiency. From a different...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2022-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Photoenergy |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/8494818 |
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| author | Sergiu-Mihai Hategan Marius Paulescu |
| author_facet | Sergiu-Mihai Hategan Marius Paulescu |
| author_sort | Sergiu-Mihai Hategan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | PV modules for Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) applications are made of different colors aimed at raising the visual aesthetic of the building. But a colored coating applied to the surface of a basic PV module is inherently associated to a decrease in conversion efficiency. From a different perspective, the efficiency of a PV module is evaluated under the industry standard test conditions (STC). Due to spectral mismatch, the efficiency of a PV module operating in outdoor conditions may substantially differ from the standard value evaluated at STC. In this study, the influence of spectral solar irradiance distribution on the colored PV module efficiency is evaluated in terms of spectral factor (SF). SF quantifies the relative power gain or loss caused by the spectral difference from STC. The theory is illustrated with a case study on the main four urban areas in Romania. The actual solar radiation spectrum is estimated with the simple Leckner spectral solar irradiance model, based on atmospheric parameters retrieved from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). The results emphasize that the aesthetic of BIPV comes at a high energy cost: depending on the color, a coating applied on the surface of a crystalline silicon PV module may reduce its conversion efficiency even by half. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4239cc4b7cae4ffa8a782b884acc8eac |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1687-529X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Photoenergy |
| spelling | doaj-art-4239cc4b7cae4ffa8a782b884acc8eac2025-02-03T01:21:02ZengWileyInternational Journal of Photoenergy1687-529X2022-01-01202210.1155/2022/8494818Spectral Factor of Colored Solar Cells: A Case Study on the Main Urban Areas in RomaniaSergiu-Mihai Hategan0Marius Paulescu1Faculty of PhysicsFaculty of PhysicsPV modules for Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) applications are made of different colors aimed at raising the visual aesthetic of the building. But a colored coating applied to the surface of a basic PV module is inherently associated to a decrease in conversion efficiency. From a different perspective, the efficiency of a PV module is evaluated under the industry standard test conditions (STC). Due to spectral mismatch, the efficiency of a PV module operating in outdoor conditions may substantially differ from the standard value evaluated at STC. In this study, the influence of spectral solar irradiance distribution on the colored PV module efficiency is evaluated in terms of spectral factor (SF). SF quantifies the relative power gain or loss caused by the spectral difference from STC. The theory is illustrated with a case study on the main four urban areas in Romania. The actual solar radiation spectrum is estimated with the simple Leckner spectral solar irradiance model, based on atmospheric parameters retrieved from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). The results emphasize that the aesthetic of BIPV comes at a high energy cost: depending on the color, a coating applied on the surface of a crystalline silicon PV module may reduce its conversion efficiency even by half.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/8494818 |
| spellingShingle | Sergiu-Mihai Hategan Marius Paulescu Spectral Factor of Colored Solar Cells: A Case Study on the Main Urban Areas in Romania International Journal of Photoenergy |
| title | Spectral Factor of Colored Solar Cells: A Case Study on the Main Urban Areas in Romania |
| title_full | Spectral Factor of Colored Solar Cells: A Case Study on the Main Urban Areas in Romania |
| title_fullStr | Spectral Factor of Colored Solar Cells: A Case Study on the Main Urban Areas in Romania |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spectral Factor of Colored Solar Cells: A Case Study on the Main Urban Areas in Romania |
| title_short | Spectral Factor of Colored Solar Cells: A Case Study on the Main Urban Areas in Romania |
| title_sort | spectral factor of colored solar cells a case study on the main urban areas in romania |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/8494818 |
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