First Solar’s hot climate white paper titled “Performance Characterization and Superior Energy Yield of First Solar PV Power Plants in High-Temperature Conditions” has been published in the 17th edition of Photovoltaics International, a leading industry trade journal. The paper was written by First Solar’s Nick Strevel, Lou Trippel, and Markus Gloeckler and substantiates First Solar’s superior energy yield advantage in high temperature climates. The paper covers detailed performance characterization data including temperature coefficient, initial stabilization, module rating process, and long-term degradation and explains the fundamentals of high-temperature operation that influence energy output, module efficiency, and module reliability over the power plant’s life.
Solar power plants in high-temperature climates spend the majority of their operational lives above standard test conditions (25°C), a range where First Solar modules have a proven performance advantage over crystalline silicon solar modules. The leading contributor to this performance advantage is the lower temperature coefficient of CdTe semiconductor material, which delivers higher energy yields at elevated operating temperatures.
The detailed performance characteristics of First Solar PV modules, including temperature coefficient, initial stabilization, module rating process, and long-term degradation are inputs to energy prediction model for power plants in high-temperature conditions. The paper explains the fundamentals of high-temperature operation that influence energy output, module efficiency, and module reliability over the power plant’s life. The physical mechanisms underlying long-term degradation are reviewed, substantiated by a combination of third-party evaluation, comparisons of field data to predictions, and accelerated lab testing.
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