RESULTS OF THE MPVT (MULTI-PURPOSE PV MODULE TESTER) PROJECT - A HIGHLY INNOVATIVE AND VERSATILE SOLAR SIMULATOR

摘要

This paper presents the main outcomes of the MPVT (Multi-Purpose PV Module Tester) project,whose aim was that of developing a particular versatile tool for the indoor testing of PV modules, by upgrading andintegrating new functionalities into an existing pulsed solar-simulator based IV measurement set-up (Pasan IIIB). TheMPVT system (and particularly its electronic load EL) were adapted to the needs of the different PV technologiespresent today on the market, which require a larger flexibility in terms of electrical .measurement conditions (highvoltage/low-current thin film PV and high-current/low-voltage c-Si technologies). Moreover, the EL is able toperform dark IV measurement of large-area PV modules. Particular efforts were dedicated to implement in the novelset-up, alternative solutions for the testing of high-efficiency / highly-capacitive c-Si devices. Two approaches, whichgive encouraging results but still require a full validation, were considered: (1) the use of customized voltage profiles,and (2) the measurement of slow-speed dark IV curves and reconstruction of quasi steady-state illuminated IV curves.Moreover, the MPVT set-up may be complemented with additional equipment for the testing of temperaturecoefficients (TCO’s), measurements at different irradiance levels, and a set-up to test spectral response (SR) of largeareamodules.