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    New insights on the empirical predictability of spectral indicators for PV performance
    (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, 2023-10-13) Sevillano Bendezú, Miguel Ángel; Palomino Töfflinger, Jan Amaru
    Accurate produced PV energy estimation is critical to business decisions under long-term investments in PV on a utility scale. PV energy yield is affected by different sites' specific conditions. The variability of the spectral distribution after temperature and irradiation is a site condition that impacts energy yield estimates. Evaluating the impact of the spectral irradiance distribution on the PV performance generally requires accurate information about the PV device's spectral response and the site’s measured spectra. Detailed spectral and device information may not always be available. This study analyzes the interrelations between device-dependent and device-independent energetic spectral indicators with spectral data from nine sites with different climates and latitudes, aiming to relax the requirement for detailed device and spectral information. First, an apparent correlation of each site's spectral distributions' yearly Average Photon Energy with the corresponding latitude is observed. As the commonly applied device-dependent spectral indicator, it can be observed that the monthly mismatch factors of all nine sites exhibit a global linear relationship with the monthly average photon energies. This linear relationship with measured spectral data provides a predictive character for each PV device technology by allowing the estimation of the annual spectral impact from the annual Average Photon Energy, potentially for any site. This work also analyzes the validity of the Spectral Average Useful Fraction and the Spectral Enhancement Factor as alternative device-dependent spectral indicators. These require average spectra and, thus, would reduce the calculation complexity for spectral indicators. Finally, the proposed method was validated qualitatively using synthetic spectral data from the National Solar Radiation Database. The trends of the scatter plot between the synthetic Spectral Mismatch Factor and the Average Photon Energy that follow the experimental linear regression give an idea of the proposed method's functionality, despite the synthetic data's uncertainties.
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    Contribution to the Tb-doped AlNxOy:H/c-Si(p) interface study using Surface Photovoltage (SPV) techniques for potential photovoltaic applications
    (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, 2023-07-10) Dulanto Carbajal, Jorge Alejandro; Palomino Töfflinger, Jan Amaru
    Hydrogenated Aluminum Oxynitride (AlNxOy:H) is a versatile material for the surface passivation of crystalline silicon (c-Si). The capability of having positive or negative fixed charges makes AlNxOy:H a suitable material for surface passivation of both n-type and p-type c-Si. Terbium (Tb) implemented in thin films is known for its potential for downshifting light. This work studies the electronic properties of the Tb-doped AlNxOy:H/cSi(p) interface. The studied samples’ layers were deposited by reactive direct current (DC) sputtering with different hydrogen flows and then annealed. Due to high leakage currents and high defect densities, the electronic properties of the Tb-doped AlNxOy:H layers could not be analyzed conclusively using standard techniques such as high-frequency capacitance-voltage (HF-CV) or quasi-steady-state photoconductance (QSSPC) measurements, respectively. As an alternative, the non-contact Surface Photovoltage (SPV) characterization technique enabled a profound investigation of the electronic features of the Tb-doped AlNxOy:H/c-Si (p) interface. Both modulated SPV and transient SPV measurements are performed. The capabilities of the SPV measurements make this technique unique and very effective in observing and measuring critical passivation properties of the Tb-doped AlNxOy:H samples. Particularly the transient SPV of the Tb-doped AlNxOy:H samples enabled the observation of different optical transitions (band to band, band to defect, defect to band) and carrier transport mechanisms between the Si surface and the Tb-doped AlNxOy:H. The changes in relaxation times among Tb-doped AlNxOy:H samples are noticeable due to spatial separation among defects (tunneling). This study uses complementary measurements like X-ray reflectometry (XRR), Photoluminescence (PL) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to obtain valuable information about the AlNxOy:H layer and the AlNxOy:H/c-Si(p) interface that validates the SPV results and observations. In the c-Si, through SPV, we observed strong accumulation with passivation of boron acceptors and the generation of defects near the interface. When the hydrogen flow was increased, the net negative charge in the Tbdoped AlNxOy:H layer decreased, and the surface photovoltage signals associated with defects increased. Transients SPV at higher hydrogen flows decayed faster, and hopping transport via an exponential distribution of trap states in energy replaced trap-limited relaxation of charge carriers separated in space. The particular conditions that these AlNxOy:H samples have, make transient SPV spectroscopy a unique and reliable technique to observe the electronic properties of the AlNxOy:H/c-Si(p) interface.
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    Contribution to the characterization of emerging photovoltaics technologies in Lima-Peru
    (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, 2023-01-13) Conde Mendoza, Luis Angel; Palomino Töfflinger, Jan Amaru
    This Doctoral Thesis contributed to forming a new photovoltaic (PV) laboratory in Lima-Peru, by developing an outdoor characterization system for PV modules. This system enables performance studies of different PV technologies under outdoor conditions. The new laboratory is the first of its kind in Peru due to its appropriate instrumentation for various PV performance research. This system was installed in the outdoor-PV laboratory of the Physics section (12◦2′S, 77◦1′W) at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) in collaboration with the IDEA research group of the University of Jaén (UJA) in Spain. Seven PV modules of different technologies, and instruments are currently installed to measure environmental conditions. This system measures the current-voltage (I-V) curve of each PV module at five-minute intervals and simultaneously measures module temperature and irradiance. Additionally, the solar spectrum and environmental conditions are measured. With these experimental data, it is possible to carry out characterization and performance studies of PV modules or systems. The system started working in March 2019 and continues to work automatically to date. Three types of PV technologies began to be characterized: Aluminum Back Surface Field (Al- BSF), Hetero-junction with Intrinsic Thin-Layer (HIT), and Amorphous/micro-crystalline silicon tandem (a-Si/μc-Si). Four additional technologies were installed in 2020: Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC), Passivated Emitter Rear Totally Diffused (PERT), Amorphous Silicon (a- Si), and Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS). The first part describes the characterization system composed of an I-V curve tracer, a multiplexing system, and environmental sensors. PV modules, measuring instruments, sensors, components for circuit boards, and connection diagrams are listed. The automated control section describes the architecture of the software developed in LabVIEW for measurement, visualization, and data storage. In the second part, an analysis of the data extracted from the I-V curves is made, mainly in the maximum power point. For this, a methodology was developed to calibrate the PV modules outdoors. Simple methods such as Osterwald and Constant Fill Factor (FFk) were used to model the maximum power of HIT, Al-BSF, and tandem a-Si/μc-Si, for a year (May 2019 – April 2020). Next, the energy conversion efficiency is analyzed using the Performance Ratio (PR) in the following PV technologies: HIT, Al-BSF, tandem a-Si/μc-Si, IBC, PERT, a-Si, and CIGS for another year (March 2020 – February 2022). In the third part, an experimental study of the solar spectrum was carried out during one year (March 2019 – February 2020). The spectrum was characterized by the Average Photon Energy (APE). It was found that the yearly APE for the study period was 1.923 eV, indicating that the spectrum in Lima has a blue shift with respect to the AM1.5G standard spectrum. Additionally, the variation of the monthly APE during the year is negligible. Then, a theoretical evaluation of the Mismatch Factor (MM) and spectral gain was made for the spectral response (SR) of seven PV technologies: a-Si, Perovskite, CdTe, two CIGS with different SRs, multi-Si, and mono-Si. In the part of conclusions and future works, the objectives achieved and the current state of the research laboratory with the new systems and instruments installed are summarized. Finally, in the appendixes there is more detailed additional information on the circuits, algorithms, and mathematical arrangements that were necessary for the development of the thesis.
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    Contribution to the characterization and modeling of photovoltaic generators
    (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, 2023-01-10) Angulo Abanto, Jose Ruben; Palomino Töfflinger, Jan Amaru
    A crucial aspect of evaluating and maintaining a photovoltaic (PV) installation connected to the grid is the availability of models that describe its operation reliably in real operating conditions. The nominal power of the PV generator (P*M) is considered an essential input parameter, and several models have been proposed to estimate P*M for characterizing the PV system. In the case of PV generators in outdoor conditions, the American Society for Testing and Materials, the International Electrotechnical Commission, and others have proposed procedures to determine the P*M of the generator. As part of these procedures, monitoring days with ideal conditions is mandatory, notably days with a clear sky, high irradiance values, and low wind speeds. Such restrictions can limit the number of suitable monitoring days, especially in places where clouds frequently form. This thesis proposes a new approach that allows estimating the P*M with data even from non-ideal, partially cloudy days. Based on non-parametric statistics, this procedure identifies and filters out noise as well as deviations from ideal conditions of irradiance, allowing for an estimation of P*M with similar accuracy as for a clear-sky day. This new procedure enables the characterization of a PV generator on a daily basis without the requirement to meet ideal conditions, thus, considerably enhancing the number of suitable monitoring days. To overcome the limitation in the P*M estimation and considerably extend the number of monitoring days, the new procedure can be applied to ideal and non-ideal conditions, such as partially cloudy days. This procedure determines the most probable nominal power value within one monitoring day using non-parametric statistics. In order to test the new procedure, a 109.44 kW photovoltaic plant in Granada, Spain, was monitored for six months. A referential procedure reported in the literature for large PV plants under ideal climatic conditions is first applied to estimate its nominal power. The results indicate that the nominal power can be estimated reliably in non-ideal conditions, maintaining the same precision as in ideal conditions. Then validating the procedure for a smaller PV generator and under different conditions, two small grid-connected 1.5 kW PV arrays were used. The PV systems in question are located in two different cities in Peru: Chachapoyas (tropical highland) and Lima (coastal desert). The objective of this study in Chachapoyas was to validate the methodology in a tropical climate with a high presence of clouds but at the same time with high irradiance values above 800 W/m2. According to the results obtained, under these conditions, the nominal power of the system can be calculated with reasonable certainty. As a precaution, monitoring for more than one day is recommended to obtain more data (at least 3 hours with high irradiance) to reduce uncertainties. Lima, Peru's second location under study, has a particular climate. Since the capital is located in a desert with high relative humidity values, dust deposition increases and power output decreases due to these conditions. For this purpose, the nominal power was used as a parameter to determine the maintenance schedule. Since keeping the system in optimal performance, considering this in future installations for operation and maintenance costs, is essential. The new procedure developed in this work can be applied to facilitate technical due diligence and quality control processes for PV generators of different sizes and under different operating conditions that are being re-purchased or have been recently installed. The possibility of daily monitoring of the P*M also enables long-term monitoring of a PV generator to ensure the correct operation or identify possible degradation effects