THE IMPACT OF ANGLE OF INCIDENCE ON ENERGY YIELD OF PV MODULES FOR BUILDING APPLICATIONS

Abstract

As the irradiance received by a solar photovoltaic (PV) module varies through the day, it is crucial to investigate and understand the impact of Angle of Incidence (AOI) on the energy yield and thus evaluate a correction, commonly referred to as Incident Angle Modifier (IAM). This is particularly prominent in vertical applications such as Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) where the output is dependent on AOI and for novel PV module architectures, where the number and geometry of busbars may affect AOI significantly. To investigate this, a novel indoor methodology, different from the standard procedure of IEC 61853-2, was developed to quantify and study the effects of AOI on three different cell architectures: conventional cell with four busbars, interdigitated back contact (IBC) cell and shingling cell. The findings of this study demonstrate the potential of using an alternative indoor approach to quantify the IAM without a solar simulator, as well as inform potential PV system owners on the effect of AOI on the three different cell architectures.