Photovoltaics (PV) is a cost-competitive and scalable technology for electricity generation that plays a crucial role to accelerate the European energy transition and achieve carbon neutrality. Large-scale installation of rooftop PV, as well as innovative PV applications such as floating PV coupled with hydropower and bifacial PV along roads and railways, offer multi-benefits, not least in reducing competition for land. In this study, we present a geospatial approach to assess the pan-European technical potential of these three applications, using publicly available datasets. The findings reveal that the PV total installed capacity could exceed 1 TWp, which is far larger than the total PV capacity for 2030 in the EU Solar Energy Strategy (720 GWp) and would be a significant contribution to the several TWs needed for the overall transition to net-zero by 2050. The evidence presented is a useful starting point for policy-setting at national and regional level, as well as for research and detailed analyses of location specific solutions.

For decades the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference (EU PVSEC) has played a key role in the development and promotion of photovoltaics technology and applications. Photovoltaics is a key element of the developing sustainable energy system. As outlined in the International Energy Agency's recent flagship report Net Zero by 2050 - A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector[1] which provides a comprehensive study of how to transition to a net zero energy system by 2050, this will result in a clean, dynamic, and resilient energy economy dominated by renewables like solar and wind in the place of fossil fuels. The EU PVSEC covers topics relevant to photovoltaic specialists and other key stakeholders across the full value chain, ranging from fundamental concepts to policy. In more detail, the program is divided into five topics - Silicon Materials and Cells; Evolving and Emerging Technologies; Photovoltaic Modules and BoS Components; Photovoltaic (PV) Systems Engineering, Integrated/Applied PV; PV in the Energy Transition. The first two topics are focused on developments in materials and cell structures and manufacturing in crystalline silicon, thin films, perovskites, and tandems. The Module and Systems topics cover design, implementation, performance, and operation - including the increasingly important role of digitalization and machine learning - as well as the multitude of integrated applications in areas such as buildings (BIPV), agriculture (Agri-PV) and on water (Floating PV). The energy transition topic covers the wide range of multidisciplinary efforts required to ensure the rapid deployment of PV technologies on a massive and global scale, including, technical, economics, sustainability, and social challenges. The articles in this special issue represent a unique collection of the latest progress reported at the 2022 conference (which was also the 8th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, WCPEC-8) and highlight important developments in a broad range of areas. It is to be noted that the partnership with Solar RRL covers a subset of the topic areas, and a complementary selection of highlighted papers is included in a special issue of Progress in Photovoltaics. A full list of papers resulting from the partnership of Wiley & EU PVSEC is found here. As well as individually demonstrating the state of the art in its own field, the selected articles taken together provide a valuable insight into the current areas of focus within the photovoltaics research community. A brief overview of the Solar RRL articles grouped by topic follows. The listed article titles contain clickable hyperlinks for convenience. Crystalline silicon remains by far the largest segment of the PV market and, although it is a very mature technology, developments continue towards improving materials, device structures, reliability, and sustainability. These three papers illustrate developments in crystalline silicon materials: Epitaxially Grown p-type Silicon Wafers Ready for Cell Efficiencies Exceeding 25% Comparing the Gettering Effect of Heavily Doped Polysilicon Films and Its Implications for Tunnel Oxide-Passivated Contact Solar Cells High Lifetime Ga-Doped Cz-Si for Carrier-Selective Junction Solar Cells; This review article looks at edge isolation techniques of importance in the manufacturing of high efficiency crystalline silicon cells: Past, Present, and Future Outlook for Edge Isolation Processes in Highly Efficient Silicon Solar Cell Manufacturing Sustainability of materials used in cell manufacturing is a key area of research, and this paper specifically looks at the case of indium: Reduction in Indium Usage for Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells in a Short-Term Industrial Perspective Ever increasing volume production requires advances in faster and less expensive characterization techniques. The use of a neural network typifies the increasing role of digital techniques and machine learning: Contactless Inline IV Measurement of Solar Cells Using an Empirical Model Potentially disruptive technologies require evaluation of their real world performance as studied in these two papers for the luminescent solar concentrator and two-terminal tandem respectively: Analysis of the 1 Year Outdoor Performance of Quantum Dot Luminescent Solar Concentrators Energy Loss Analysis of Two-Terminal Tandem PV Systems under Realistic Operating Conditions—Revealing the Importance of Fill Factor Gains There are also many developments at the systems level, aimed at improving the assessment of system performance as well as the performance itself: Power Conditioner Efficiencies and Annual Performance Analyses with Partially Shaded Photovoltaic Generators Using Indoor Measurements and Shading Simulations Quantifying the Energy Impact of Soiling—Thanks to the Tool SoilRatio State-of-Play and Emerging Challenges in Photovoltaic Energy Yield Simulations: A Multi-Case Multi-Model Benchmarking Study The integration of increasing amounts of fluctuating renewable sources into a future smart grid is essential, as studied in this supervised-learning forecasting model: Single-Site Forecasts for 130 Photovoltaic Systems at Distribution System Operator Level, Using a Hybrid-Physical Approach, to Improve Grid-Integration and Enable Future Smart-Grid Operation Interest in the integration of photovoltaics into vehicles is growing as electric vehicles market share grows. We also have a novel take on integration into inland shipping: Vehicle-Integrated Photovoltaics Irradiation Modeling Using Aerial-Based LIDAR Data and Validation with Trip Measurements Analysis for the Potential of High-Efficiency and Low-Cost Vehicle-Integrated Photovoltaics Photovoltaic Potential of the Dutch Inland Shipping Fleet: An Experimentally Validated Method to Simulate the Power Series from Vessel-Integrated Photovoltaics The final three papers of the special issue cover key aspects of the energy transition-integrating renewable sources, sustainability, and economics: Ancillary Services via Flexible Photovoltaic/Wind Systems and “Implicit” Storage to Balance Demand and Supply Abundant Material Consumption Based on a Learning Curve for Photovoltaic toward Net-Zero Emissions by 2050 Profitability of Solar Photovoltaic Projects: A Sensitivity Analysis of Performance Loss Curves and Operation and Maintenance Expenses

Solar RRLVolume 6, Issue 5 2200288 Guest EditorialOpen Access Photovoltaics in 2021 Robert P. Kenny, Corresponding Author Robert P. Kenny [email protected] orcid.org/0000-0002-1785-0605 Energy Efficiency and Renewables Unit, Directorate for Energy, Transport and Climate, European Commission - Joint Research Centre, Via Enrico Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra (VA), ItalySearch for more papers by this author Robert P. Kenny, Corresponding Author Robert P. Kenny [email protected] orcid.org/0000-0002-1785-0605 Energy Efficiency and Renewables Unit, Directorate for Energy, Transport and Climate, European Commission - Joint Research Centre, Via Enrico Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra (VA), ItalySearch for more papers by this author First published: 10 May 2022 https://doi.org/10.1002/solr.202200288AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Since its inception in 1977 the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference (EU PVSEC) has played a part in the success story that photovoltaics is today. Photovoltaic technology is now expected to be one of the key elements of a future sustainable energy system. As outlined in the IEA's recent flagship report Net Zero by 2050 - A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector1 which provides a comprehensive study of how to transition to a net zero energy system by 2050, this will result in a clean, dynamic and resilient energy economy dominated by renewables like solar and wind instead of fossil fuels. The EU PVSEC covers topics relevant to photovoltaic specialists and other stakeholders across the full value chain, ranging from fundamental concepts to policy. In more detail, the topics are New Materials and Concepts; Silicon Materials and Cells; Perovskites and Other Non-Silicon Materials and Devices, Tandems; Modules and Balance of System Components; PV Systems – Modelling, Design, Operation and Performance of Systems; Applications, Integration and Storage; and Finance, Markets and Policies. The articles in this special issue represent a unique collection of the latest progress reported at the 2021 conference and highlight important developments in a broad range of areas. It is to be noted that the partnership with Solar RRL covers a subset of the topic areas, and a complementary selection of highlighted papers is included in a special issue of Progress in Photovoltaics. As well as individually demonstrating the state of the art in its own field, the selected articles taken together provide an insight into the areas currently the focus of the photovoltaics research community. A brief overview of the articles grouped by topic follows. The listed article titles contain clickable hyperlinks for convenience. Crystalline silicon remains by far the largest segment of the PV market and, although it is a very mature technology, developments continue towards improving materials, device structures (e.g. heterojunction and TOPCon) and reliability. The increasing use of digital techniques and machine learning is noteworthy: Electronic Properties and Structure of Boron–Hydrogen Complexes in Crystalline Silicon; Influence of the Bulk Resistivity on Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells and Module Reliability; Atmospheric Pressure Dry Etching of Polysilicon Layers for Highly Reverse Bias-Stable TOPCon Solar Cells; Learning an Empirical Digital Twin from Measurement Images for a Comprehensive Quality Inspection of Solar Cells; Explaining the Efficiencies of Mass-Produced p-Type Cz-Si Solar Cells by Interpretable Machine Learning. Other technologies also continue to push the boundaries, and here we have an example of progress in organic PV: Effect of Additives and Annealing on the Performance of Nonfullerene-Based Binary and Ternary Organic Photovoltaics. Two papers look at reliability of PV Modules and performance characterisation using advanced computing techniques: Reliability Evaluation of Photovoltaic Modules Fabricated from Treated Solar Cells by Laser-Enhanced Contact Optimization Process; Toward Megapixel Resolution Compressed Sensing Current Mapping of Photovoltaic Devices Using Digital Light Processing. Reliable inverters are critical to the operation of PV plants as proposed in: Analysis and Development of a Modular Fault-Tolerant Multistring Power Converter for Solar Photovoltaic Applications. A number of articles cover systems and applications, including building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), e-mobility, solar resource and forecasting, as well as for hydrogen generation. BIPV: Long-Term Performance and Shade Detection in Building Integrated Photovoltaic Systems; Photovoltaic Modules with the Look and Feel of a Stone Façade for Building Integration. E-mobility: Development of High-Efficiency Solar Cell Modules for Photovoltaic-Powered Vehicles; Demonstration of Feeding Vehicle-Integrated Photovoltaic-Converted Energy into the High-Voltage On-Board Network of Practical Light Commercial Vehicles for Range Extension; Hybrid PV Systems and Colocalization of Charging and Filling Stations for Electrification of Road Transport Sector. Solar resource: Uncertainty Calculation Method for Photodiode Pyranometers; A Hybrid Solar Irradiance Nowcasting Approach: Combining All Sky Imager Systems and Persistence Irradiance Models for Increased Accuracy; A Comprehensive Workflow for High Resolution 3D Solar Photovoltaic Potential Mapping in Dense Urban Environment: A Case Study on Campus of Delft University of Technology. Electrolosys, hydrogen: Integrating Solar Energy, Desalination and Electrolysis; Development of Various Photovoltaic-Driven Water Electrolysis Technologies for Green Solar Hydrogen Generation. Finally, a number of articles look at cost, especially of solar hydrogen, and policy issues. Cost: True Cost of Solar Hydrogen; Levelized Cost of Hydrogen Calculation from Off-Grid Photovoltaic Plants Using Different Methods; Marginal Effect of Variation in Photovoltaic System Configuration's Generation Profiles on Price Stabilization in the Netherlands Compared with Deployment of Flexible Demand and Supply. Policy: Building Criteria for Energy Labeling of Photovoltaic Modules and Small Systems; Optimal Allocation Method for a Fair Distribution of the Benefits in an Energy Community. Biography Robert P. Kenny studied Electronic Engineering in the University of Dublin, and obtained a PhD in fibre optic devices from the University of Limerick. Since 2001 he has been performing research at the European Solar Test Installation, located at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, in Ispra, Italy. His research interests include measurement of photovoltaic devices and modules, especially their performance in real operating conditions and standards. References 1 Net Zero by 2050 - A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector, International Energy Agency, 2021, Net Zero by 2050 – Analysis - IEA. Volume6, Issue5Special Issue: EU PVSECMay 20222200288 This article also appears in:Partnership of Wiley & EU PVSEC/WCPEC-8 ReferencesRelatedInformation

The transition to a low carbon society will not be possible without a major shift to renewables. Up to now the world is not set for a clear downward turn in emissions because most of the energy infrastructure continues to work in a business-as-usual scenario. With its strong reduction in LCOE, PV is at the forefront of new energy technologies to be a key contributor for change. PV bene fi ts range from local energy production to large power plants. In combination with other technologies, it expands its added value not only to cities, including buildings and mobility, but also to agriculture, water desalination and hydrogen production. According to the International Energy Agen-cy, solar is now the cheapest form of electricity generation and will be the most important renewable energy in the world.

Bifacial crystalline Silicon (Si) photovoltaic (PV) devices are attracting considerable interest from manufacturers and the market since they can enhance the performance in comparison with traditional monofacial PV devices. Technical specification IEC TS 60904-1-2 was published in 2019 and proposes several characterization methods for bifacial PV device testing based on single-side, double-sided and natural sunlight illumination. This article analyses the advantages, disadvantages, the suitability and the feasibility of the different methods and compares the electrical performance obtained by the proposed approaches at the European Solar Test Installation for the testing of bifacial Si devices. Deviations in Pmax below 0.9% for the different testing methods under test was obtained except for the double-source approach with a rear reflector (2.59%) where the measurement of the rear irradaince influence the P max.

The IEC 61853 standard series aims to provide a standardized measure for photovoltaic (PV) module energy rating, namely the Climate Specific Energy Rating (CSER). For this purpose, it defines procedures for the experimental determination of input data and algorithms for calculating the CSER. However, some steps leave room for interpretation regarding the specific implementation. To analyze the impact of these ambiguities, the comparability of results, and the clarity of the algorithm for calculating the CSER in Part 3 of the standard, an intercomparison is performed among research organizations with ten different implementations of the algorithm. We share the same input data, obtained by measurement of a commercial crystalline silicon PV module, among the participating organizations. Each participant then uses their individual implementations of the algorithm to calculate the resulting CSER values. The initial blind comparison reveals differences of 0.133 (14.7%) in CSER. After several comparison phases, a best practice approach is defined, which reduces the difference by a factor of 210 to below 0.001 (0.1%) in CSER for two independent PV modules. The best practice presented in this article establishes clear guidelines for the numerical treatment of the spectral correction and power matrix extrapolation, where the methods in the standard are not clearly defined. Additionally, we provide input data and results for the PV community to test their implementations of the standard's algorithm. To identify the source of the deviations, we introduce a climate data diagnostic set. Based on our experiences, we give recommendations for the future development of the standard.

Digitalization is providing advantages to all sectors around the world and it can be of relevance also for the photovoltaic (PV) sector. As an example, the current value chain of the European PV sector is often characterized by analogue and fragmented processes that should be overcame to support greater PV deployment. The adoption of a more open and collaborative digital-based approach characterized by data-sharing among different stakeholders and more integrated information thread from the design till O&M can provide direct benefits in optimizing the PV process, increasing performances, and reducing of costs. Therefore, a novel PV Information Management (PIM) approach has been drawn within the European H2020 project “SuperPV”. In accordance with PIM objectives, a workflow for seamlessly transferring data along main PV work-stages has been developed, as well as new digital features to specifically address collaborative approach in the PV sector such as: (i) advanced functionalities introduced in the existing BIMSolar® software for improving the simultaneous design, performance simulation and cost assessment of medium and large PV systems, (ii) a proof-of-concept for aggregating all relevant information into a Digital Twin platform aimed at setting the ground for post-construction management and lifecycle assessment of the whole PV system.

This is the data from PV module energy rating standard IEC 61853-3 intercomparison. Details can be found in: M. R. Vogt, S. Riechelmann, A. M. Gracia-Amillo, A. Driesse, A. Kokka, K. Maham, P. Kärhä, R. Kenny, C. Schinke, K. Bothe, J. C. Blakesley, E. Music, F. Plag, G. Friesen, G. Corbellini, N. Riedel-Lyngskær, R. Valckenborg, M. Schweiger, W. Herrmann, „PV module energy rating standard IEC 61853-3 intercomparison and best practice guidelines for implementation and validation”, accepted IEEE JPV. DOI (identifier) 10.1109/JPHOTOV.2021.3135258

Emerging PV technologies are rapidly evolving and considerable research effort has addressed alternative approaches to increase their efficiency, now reaching promising values. A reliable technology assessment and a correct evaluation of their potential when compared with currently available marketable PV technologies require performance measurements of the PV modules not only at standard test conditions (STC), but also at real operating conditions (IEC 61853-1). The aim of this study is to provide an insight into the behavior of organic photovoltaic full-size modules, allowing for subsequent energy rating studies and energy performance evaluation at different locations and climate conditions according to the IEC 61853 series.

The IEC 61853 standard series “Photovoltaic (PV) module performance testing and energy rating” aims to provide a standardized measure for PV module performance, namely the Climate Specific Energy Rating (CSER). An algorithm to calculate CSER is specified in part 3 based on laboratory measurements defined in parts 1 and 2 as well as the climate data set given in part 4. To test the comparability and clarity of the algorithm in part 3, we share the same input data, obtained by measuring a standard photovoltaic module, among different research organizations. Each participant then uses their individual implementations of the algorithm to calculate the resulting CSER values. The initial blind comparison reveals differences of 0.133 (14.7%) in CSER between the ten different implementations of the algorithm. Despite the differences in CSER, an analysis of intermediate results revealed differences of less than 1% at each step of the calculation chain among at least three participants. Thereby, we identify the extrapolation of the power table, the handling of the differences in the wavelength bands between measurement and climate data set, and several coding errors as the three biggest sources for the differences. After discussing the results and comparing different approaches, all participants rework their implementations individually and compare the results two more times. In the third intercomparison, the differences are less than 0.029 (3.2%) in CSER. When excluding the remaining three outliers, the largest absolute difference between the other seven participants is 0.0037 (0.38%). Based on our findings we identified four recommendations for improvement of the standard series.

The bifacial crystalline silicon (Si) photovoltaic (PV) module market has grown significantly in recent years since they offer the opportunity for increased performance in comparison to conventional monofacial PV modules. This is because both sides of the cells can absorb solar radiation, utilizing the scattered light from the ground and surroundings. This however also implies a more difficult energy yield forecast due to the extra rear irradiance contribution that needs to be evaluated. Furthermore, the IEC technical specification (TS) 60904-1-2 indicates a threshold of 10% for rear side irradiance non-uniformity in outdoor characterization conditions. This work is a study of rear-side irradiance (Grear) non-uniformity essential to ensure meaningful characterization and long-term outdoor energy yield measurements for bifacial modules. The sky conditions, location on rack, rear irradiance sensor number and position that influence the rear irradiance non-uniformity for bifacial modules mounted on an open rack are studied. Finally, the minimum number and position of irradiance sensors needed to reliably describe the rear irradiance as a function of time for long-term monitoring of this PV system is proposed.

The international standard IEC62670-3 (International Electrotechnical Committee) “Photovoltaic Concentrators (CPV) Performance Testing—Part 3—Performance Measurements and Power Rating” sets the guidelines for power measurements of a CPV device, both in indoor and outdoor conditions. When measuring in outdoor conditions, the acquired data have to be filtered a posteriori, in order to select only those points measured with ambient conditions close to the Concentrator Standard Operating Conditions (CSOC). The most stringent requirement to be met is related to the three Spectral Matching Ratios (SMR), which have all to be within the limit of 1.00 ± 0.03. SMR are usually determined by the ratio of the currents of component cells to monitor the outdoor spectral ratio conditions during the CPV device power measurements. Experience demonstrates that obtaining real world data meeting these strict conditions is very difficult in practice. However, increasing the acceptable range would make the entire filtering process less appropriate from a physical point of view. Given the importance of correctly measuring the SMR, an estimation of their associated measurement uncertainties is needed to allow a proper assessment of the validity of the 3% limit. In this study a Monte Carlo simulation has been used, to allow the estimation of the propagation of uncertainties in expressions having the and integral form. The method consists of applying both random and wavelength correlated errors to the measured spectra and to the measured spectral responses of the three CPV cell junctions, according to the measurement uncertainties of the European Solar Test Installation (ESTI). The experimental data used in this study have been acquired during clear sky conditions in May 2016, at ESTI’s facilities in Ispra, northern Italy (45°49′ N 8°37′ E).

There is increasing interest in the crystalline Si bifacial PV module market due to the opportunity for increased performance in comparison to traditional PV modules because both sides absorb solar radiation. Draft standard IEC TS 609041-2 (Measurement of current-voltage characteristics of bifacial PV devices) describes measurement methods and also sets limits on permissible deviations of operating conditions, e.g. irradiance non-uniformity. The objective of this work is to evaluate rear side irradiance non-uniformity when employing this standard in natural sunlight. This work will also serve to ensure correct measurement of module operating conditions in long-term outdoor testing where conditions will be highly variable, but nevertheless must be accounted for in energy yield or rating calculations. The albedo is also studied for a ground covering white stones under evaluation for use in long term monitoring.

As the SOPHIA round robin aims for comparing different power rating methods, all partners agreed to use the same measurement guideline. This guideline considers the module alignment, the data requirement and the duration of data collection. Three methods to calculate the rated power from measurement data based on regression, averaging or translation are already evaluated using data of the first four partners. Initial results show maximum deviations in the rated power output between the test labs of less than about four per cent for the investigated rating methods.

Luminescent Solar Concentrators (LSCs) have been proposed in the 1970s as cheap planar concentrators for residential applications and nowadays represent a novel idea with excellent perspectives for building integration photovoltaics. The interest in LSCs has increased in the last years, due to improved stability of luminescent dyes, the introduction of quantum dots and nanorods and the overall reported increase in module efficiency. Computational methods have been suddenly applied as an important tool for the description of light dynamics in LSCs. With “raytracing methods” light is described as particle-like (photons) and each particle is tracked. It is precious tool for the description of absorption/reemission events, refraction and internal reflection in LSCs. It is also a very useful approach for the description of LSC edge effects, which may be well described by means of basic geometrical optics and are the subject of this work. The impact of scattering layers on the backside of LSCs is analysed in detail both experimentally and computationally. Results give evidence of the non-wavelength dependent impact of backside diffusers to the external quantum efficiency of LSCs and thus to their overall performance. A possible design of LSC as smart windows in photovoltaic facades is also suggested, where the benefits of the edge effects described are taken into account.