University Of Cyprus
The PV Technology Group, is part of the recently established Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Cyprus. One of the main priorities of the Department is to develop a research portfolio into the area of renewable energy sources with emphasis on solar and PV systems.
The PV Technology group has just completed the installation of the first Photovoltaics Park of its kind at the University of Cyprus, in collaboration with the Institute of Physical Electronics, University of Stuttgart, Germany. The park aims at characterising the performance of PV systems under real field conditions. The PV park currently consists of 15 different grid-connected PV technologies each one having a nominal power of 1kWp (so that comparisons between the technologies can be undertaken). The technologies involved range from fixed system mono crystalline, poly crystalline silicon to amorphous thin film silicon, cadmium telluride (CdTe), CuInSe2, HIT-cell and other high efficiency solar cell technologies from a range of manufacturers such as BP Solar, Attersa, Sanyo, Solon, SunPower etc. A tracked system has also been installed as well as the latest Flatcon concentrator technology covering the majority of the current and up and coming PV technologies. Currently, we are in discussions with other PV module manufacturers for the inclusion of their modules in the park as well.
Measurement data of high resolution are obtained (1 measurement per second) and stored in a database which can be accessed via the internet. The measured data include global irradiation, DNI, solar spectral distribution, ambient temperature, module temperature, wind speed and wind direction as well as PV system data namely DC and AC voltage and current, DC and AC-energy, energy yield, performance ratio and efficiency. Different types of inverters are currently being installed in order to predict the effect of the inverters on the power output.
The aim of our work is to set up the infrastructure for continuous monitoring of PV systems (together with weather and irradiation data) and to assess their performance under the exact same field conditions through exhaustive data analysis. Furthermore, we aim at developing physical and electrical models in order to enhance our understanding of the underlying processes, especially for new technologies, and to optimise the systems for improved performance. Monitoring the concentrator systems, in addition, will also allow a direct comparison and assessment of this technology to be obtained. The effect of temperature, mismatch and optical losses on the performance of the systems is also of significant interest. Finally, power quality measurements are undertaken in order to find the effect that the PV systems have on the voltage and current harmonic content and the correlation between PV power and power quality.
We are looking to conduct high quality research in the area of PV systems and to be actively involved in European initiatives that will enable us to contribute on the European scene but to also achieve transfer of knowledge to our country in a field of utmost importance for the future of our energy mix in Cyprus.