Ir based photovoltaic array performance assessment
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1041-R01-05
Ir based photovoltaic array performance assessment A. Moropoulou, J. A. Palyvos, M. Karoglou, and V. Panagopoulos School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, Athens, 15780, Greece ABSTRACT In this work infrared thermography was used as a diagnostic tool for the performance assessment of a photovoltaic array integrated on the southern façade of NTUA's Chemical Engineering Building. This grid-connected 50 kWp solar photovoltaic array, installed under an EC Thermie Project (SE-142-97-GR-ES), operates in a standard and hybrid PV-Thermal configuration, meant to save conventional energy. The thermographic system used for the analysis covers the wavelength region 8-12 µm. The thermal images obtained showed that there are notable temperature differences on number PV panels, which may be attributed to material defects, manufacturing faults, module malfunction, and external abuse.
INTRODUCTION The use of infrared thermography in the analysis of a building’s envelope is really developing in recent years. The use of IR data for the calculation of heat transfer coefficients is reviewed in Astarita et al. [1], while Grinzato et al. analyse quantitative infrared thermography in buildings [2]. Avdelidis & Moropoulou discuss the use of IR thermography in buildings of historic interest [3] and Bazilian et al. use thermographic analysis of a building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system [4]. This analysis allows for the interpretation of the surface emissivities and operating temperatures, as well as qualitative graphic analysis of temperature gradients. The use of an infrared camera is invaluable in the study of the thermal performance and the relevant parameters in a BIPV system, especially as a diagnostic tool for potential problems, since it involves a relatively quick procedure, which can be accomplished without the need for interrupting system operations. In this work, which is the result of collaboration between the Laboratory of Materials Science and Engineering and the Solar Engineering Unit of the NTUA’s School of Chemical Engineering, infrared thermography is used for the investigation of the BIPV system that has been installed on the southern facade of the Chemical Engineering building of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). THERMOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENTS The thermographies analysis was performed on the PV arrays of the southern façade of the NTUA's Chemical Engineering building complex (Figure 1). The photovoltaic project was realized under a Thermie Program (SE-142-97-GR-ES) which involved integrating 50 kWp gridconnected solar photovoltaic arrays on the facade and the roof, operating in a standard and
Figure 1: Building façade with the first six PV arrays hybrid PV-Thermal configuration, meant to save conventional energy (thus limiting pollution normally associated with the latter) and, at the same time, to improve the thermal comfort in the adjacent large laboratory space [5]. The concept of the hybrid operation (Fig. 2) is simple enough : in the
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