Research - current projects

The aim of this article is to analyze degradation rates and their evolution over time.

The measure of degradation examined in this study is the performance ratio (PR), which is the energy yield normalized with the solar irradiance received.

The degradations are not identical for all the power plants observed. The aim of this study is to examine the linear degradation rate of the plants and to find the best non-linear adjustment functions to the degradation.

The linear degradation of SMS is 0.025% / year, and its evaluation shows a degradation rate that decreases over time.

NB: this article analyses observations made at Mont-Soleil and does not in itself constitute scientific proof.

The aim of this article is to evaluate the impact of rain on the performance of PV panels.
The analysis shows that low daily rainfall events - less than 15mm per day - tend to reduce performance, whereas when they exceed 15mm per day, the performance measured on the next sunny day is better than on the previous sunny day.
The uncertainty associated with this 15mm/day threshold is high and should be treated with caution.
NB: This article is an analysis of observations and does not constitute scientific proof.

Face à Phase

Illustration on photovoltaic panel, size 1300 x 875 mm


The artists of the association Compáz present their work Face à Phase which merges art and science. They continue, with this art installation, to expand the scope of new technologies. The image is meant to generate positive energy. It hangs vis-à-vis its interlocutor, creating a mysterious relationship by the face emerging from the wood. Real tension since the artwork itself produces electricity!

Summary

Photovoltaic systems are recycled using well-established standard processes that are also easy to scale. We therefore expect no fundamental difficulties in the quantity of material needing to be recycled from PV systems in relation to the significant growth that is predicted in the coming decades. The disposal and recycling of PV systems is financed in Switzerland through an advance disposal and recycling fee. The take-back and disposal of PV systems are largely state-regulated both on a national and international level. This also means that relevant information on regulations, established work practices and markets is mostly freely available online.

The Mont-Soleil solar power plant is one of the few large PV plants worldwide which has been in operation for more than 25 years with the originally installed solar panels. This plant therefore offers the possibility to directly investigate the aging of solar panels and other system parts. Due to the large number of installed modules, statistically relevant results can be gathered. For this reason, the plant forms a main pillar of the project "Long-term behavior of grid-connected photovoltaic systems" of the PV Lab at BFH in Burgdorf.

The energy yield in the winter half-year of a PV system in Switzerland is often only about one third of the whole-year yield, whereas two thirds of the energy is generated in the summer half-year. In order to counteract this commercially disadvantageous circumstance, a high tilt angle of 50° for the PV modules has been chosen in the Mont-Soleil solar plant, which not only increases the solar radiation in the winter half-year, but in particular also contributes to the fact that the snow slips off quickly the solar modules. The share of energy in the winter half-year was thus increased to around 40%.