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Vehicle Integrated PhotoVoltaics (VIPV) technology holds immense promise for extending the operational range of Electric Vehicles by integrating Photovoltaic cells onto vehicle surfaces. However, VIPV faces unique challenges coming from the dynamic nature of vehicular movement and the complex urban environment. This paper presents a comprehensive methodology for the analysis of VIPV systems, addressing these challenges. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology provides a high-resolution point cloud to characterize urban topography and enables to analyse of the impact of urban objects on the different components of the irradiance. The proposed methodology is validated through a measurement campaign, demonstrating the accuracy of the proposed modelling. By bridging empirical data collection with computational modelling, this research provides a robust foundation for analysing VIPV systems in urban environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An inherent characteristic of high concentrator photovoltaics ( HCPV) modules is a tight mechanical tolerance caused by the narrow angular transmission of the optical system, typically below or close to 1°. Misalignments in the modules caused during the assembly process in the production line will degrade not only the electrical but also the angular performance of the module. Moreover, dispersion in the electrical characteristics of the elementary units comprising a module would lead also to power loss. Quality control and data analysis on the production line is of great significance for adjusting the production line and preserving the angular tolerance and the electrical performance. This is particularly critical during the set-up and tuning of an automated production line. This paper presents the results of a pilot production line for HCPV modules carried out within the European funded ECOSOLE project. Several quality controls were established, which are the binning of the photovoltaic receivers, the measurement of misalignments among the elementary units within every module, and the indoor electrical characterization of the modules. Collected experimental data during the tuning phase of the pilot line were used to validate a module performance model based on production parameters. Monte Carlo method is lately applied to the model to assess the influence of production defects of diverse nature and the adequacy of quality controls, in several manufacturing scenarios beyond the specific constrains of the ECOSOLE experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-junction solar cells are widely used in high-concentration photovoltaic systems (HCPV) attaining the highest efficiencies in photovoltaic energy generation. This technology is more dependent on the spectral variations of the impinging Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) than conventional photovoltaics based on silicon solar cells and consequently demands a deeper knowledge of the solar resource characteristics. This article explores the capabilities of spectral indexes, namely, spectral matching ratios (SMR), to spectrally characterize the annual irradiation reaching a particular location on the Earth and to provide the necessary information for the spectral optimization of a MJ solar cell in that location as a starting point for CPV module spectral tuning. Additionally, the relationship between such indexes and the atmosphere parameters, such as the aerosol optical depth (AOD), precipitable water (PW), and air mass (AM), is discussed using radiative transfer models such as SMARTS to generate the spectrally resolved DNI. The network of ground-based sun and sky-scanning radiometers AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) is exploited to obtain the atmosphere parameters for a selected bunch of 34 sites worldwide. Finally, the SMR indexes are obtained for every location, and a comparative analysis is carried out for four architectures of triple junction solar cells, covering both lattice match and metamorphic technologies. The differences found among cell technologies are much less significant than among locations. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article summarizes experimental methods to evaluate the performance and to assess the efficiency of a lens that will be used as primary optics in a concentrating photovoltaic system comprising multijunction solar cells. The methods are classified into two groups: those intended to quantify the transmission losses and those that estimate the size and shape of the light spot. In addition, the optical efficiency definition is reviewed and a systematic procedure to evaluate it is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment of the power that Vehicle Integrated Photovoltaic (VIPV) systems produce during the vehicle displacement in urban environments requires to know the effect of the dynamic shadowing over the photovoltaic (PV) surface and the response that the DC/DC electronics have over these situations of fast-evolving shadows. This paper poses a novel methodology that evaluate the shadowing profile on the vehicle through images and estimates the PV output power and the behavior of a classical Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm through simulations. Through this methodology, the efficiency (intended as the ratio between the maximum power generated by the PV module and the power delivered by the MPPT algorithm) has been evaluated in a real dynamic shadowing situation, where images of the vehicle roof in a 22 km route have been acquired at high frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]