AIST Team Develops Standards for Assessing PV Systems

摘要

The amount of sunlight that shines on the earth for one hour equals the annual energy consumption of the entire human race. Recognizing the huge benefits in capturing more of this energy, many nations are moving forward with research, development, and implementation of solar energy. More than ten years have passed since the push to introduce photovoltaic (PV) power generation started in Japan. As more PV systems appear, the importance of technologies to accurately evaluate the performance and long-term reliability of solar cells grows for all phases of PV power generation from basic research and development through manufacturing, installation, and use (Fig. 1). Taking on the challenge of conducting research into such technologies and developing them is the Characterization, Testing, and System (CHATSYS) Team of the Research Center for Photovoltaics, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) (Fig. 2).