Monitoring the Operating Temperatures of Modules in Open-Rack and Typical BIPV Configurations
- Resource Type
- Conference
- Authors
- Ozkalay, Ebrar; Friesen, Gabi; Fairbrother, Andrew; Ballif, Christophe; Virtuani, Alessandro
- Source
- 2021 IEEE 48th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC) Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC), 2021 IEEE 48th. :2023-2026 Jun, 2021
- Subject
- Components, Circuits, Devices and Systems
Power, Energy and Industry Applications
Temperature sensors
Temperature measurement
Temperature distribution
Temperature dependence
Ventilation
Safety
IEC Standards
BIPV
temperature
IEC TS 63126
T98
- Language
Elevated operating temperatures are expected in BIPV systems due to restricted or reduced rear-side ventilation, which impacts their performance and reliability. This work reports operating temperatures and diurnal (day-night) temperature variations of the modules in open-rack and BIPV mounting configurations (BIPV-ventilated and BIPV-insulated) monitored over a period of 2-5 years in southern Switzerland. The modules in BIPV configurations operated at 20-30°C higher temperatures than the same modules in open-rack. The suitability of the indoor qualification and safety tests in IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 were evaluated according to the 98 th percentile real-life operating module temperature as defined in IEC TS 63126 guideline for qualifying PV modules operating at elevated temperatures. The study shows that according to IEC TS 63126, BIPV modules on a tilted surface in southern Switzerland could need to be tested at harsher conditions (e.g. higher temperatures) in a selection of indoor qualification and safety tests.