Solar Cell Technologies

The three widely used solar cell technologies are:

1. Mono Crystalline
2. Poly Crystalline
3. Amorphous or Thin film
Monocrystalline silicon solar cells
Monocrystalline panels get their name from the fact that the silicon wafer used to make them is
cut from a single crystal or boule of silicon. Silicon is grown in a laboratory to achieve a high
degree of purity and is then sliced very thinly to make wafers.
Benefits
Monocrystalline cells have the highest efficiency of any cells on the market under standard
operating conditions.
Their high efficiency means they have the smallest footprint for their output, so you can
maximize power output when roof space is limited.
Drawbacks
Due to higher production costs, monocrystalline cells are more expensive than other cells.
Monocrystalline cells dont perform as well as polycrystalline cells or thin film under higher
temperatures (e.g. 25C +). All cells are subject to de-rating as the ambient temperature
increases, and monocrystalline cells tend to produce less at higher temperatures than the other
technologies.

Polycrystalline silicon cells:

These cells are cut from an ingot of melted and recrystallized silicon. In the manufacturing
process, molten silicon is cast into ingots of polycrystalline silicon, then saw-cut into very thin
wafers and assembled into complete cells. Polycrystalline cells (also known as multicrystalline)
are cheaper to produce than monocrystalline ones, due to the simpler manufacturing process.
However, they tend to be slightly less efficient for the same size cell.
Benefits
Polycrystalline cells typically offer a lower cost per watt of power produced.
These cells have a better temperature de-rating co-efficient compared to monocrystalline,
meaning they produce more power in hotter weather, which usually more than offsets their
slightly lower cell efficiency.
Drawbacks
Polycrystalline cells are slightly less efficient than monocrystalline cells, so they need more
roof space to produce the same output capacity.

Thin film or Amorphous silicon:

Thin film, or amorphous, silicon cells are made up of silicon atoms in a thin layer rather than a
crystal structure. Amorphous silicon can absorb light more readily than crystalline silicon, so the
cells can be thinner. A laser-scribing process is used to separate and weld the electrical
connections between individual cells in a module. Thin-film photovoltaic materials offer great
promise for reducing the materials requirements and manufacturing costs of PV modules and
systems.
Benefits
Thin film offers the best shade tolerance of any solar technology.
When compared with other types of panels, thin film performs best at high temperatures.

Drawbacks
Thin film has the lowest conversion efficiency of all the panel types
These panels need about twice the roof space to achieve the same power output as a similar
crystalline panel.

The roof top solar PV system generally comprises the following equipment.

SPV Power Source

Power Conditioning Unit (Inverter)
Battery
Mounting Structure
AC and DC Cables
Junction Boxes or combiners
Protection equipment
SCADA System

SPV Power Source:

It is an assembly of photovoltaic (PV) cells, also known as solar cells. To achieve a required
voltage and current, a group of PV modules (also called PV panels) are wired into large array
that called PV array. A PV module is the essential component of any PV system that converts
sunlight directly into direct current (DC) electricity. PV modules can be wired together in series
and/or parallel to deliver voltage and current in a particular system requires. The amount of
power they produce is roughly proportional to the intensity and the angle of the light reaching
them. They are therefore positioned to take maximum advantage of available sunlight within
siting constraints. Maximum power is obtained when the panels are able to 'track' the sun's
movements during the day and the various seasons. However, these tracking mechanisms tend to
add a fair bit to the cost of the system, so a most of installations either have fixed panels or
compromise by incorporating some limited manual adjustments, which take into account the
different 'elevations' of the sun at various times of the year. The best elevations vary with the
latitude of the load location.
The power generating capacity of a photovoltaic system is denoted in Kilowatt peak (measured
at standard test conditions of solar radiation of 1000 W/m 2). A common rule of thumb is that
average power is equal to 20% of peak power, so that each peak kilowatt of solar array output
power corresponds to energy production of 4.8 kWh per day (24 hours x 1 kW x20% = 4.8 kWh)
Solar photovoltaic modules can be developed in various combinations depending upon the
requirements of the voltage and power output to be taken from the solar plant. No. of cells and
modules may vary depending upon the manufacturer prudent practice.

Power Conditioning Unit

Solar Power Conditioning Unit (PCU) is an integrated system consisting of a solar charge
controller, inverter and a Grid charger. It provides the facility to charge the battery bank either
through Solar or Grid/DG Set. The PCU continuously monitors the state of Battery Voltage,
Solar Power output and the loads. Due to sustained usage of power, when the Battery Voltage
falls below a preset level, the PCU will automatically transfer the load to the Grid/DG power and
also charge the Batteries through the in-built Grid Charger. Once the Batteries are charged to the
preset level, the PCU cuts off the Grid / DG power from the system and will restore to feeding
the loads from the battery bank & continue to charge the battery bank from the available Solar
power. The PCU always gives preference to the Solar Power and will use Grid/DG power only
when the solar power/ Battery charge is insufficient to meet the load requirement. It's a Power
Conditioning Unit (PCU) with special feature like pure sine wave output and more for using in
remote areas, where utility line is weak and renewable Energy (RE) sources are available. The
PCU is designed to convert energy from RE source as the first priority and to stream energy from
grid line when energy from the RE source is lower than the set level.

PCU consists of a Charge Controller Unit (CCU) and an Inverter.

CCU will control the charging, discharging of the battery, Load connection and
disconnection and Panel connection and disconnection. In other words the PCU is the
heart of the system and ensures the life of the battery and optimum usage of the system.

Inverter will convert the DC energy into alternating energy to meet the conventional load
demand for the predetermined period. It will also take care of the initial surge current
required for inductive loads. The capacity of the Inverter will always be double the size
of the load demand.

There are two types of charge controllers, which are:

Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)

Pulse-Width Modulating (PWM) charge controllers use complex algorithms to
determine the amount of charge going to a battery and slowly taper off charging
as the battery becomes full. One of the greatest advantages of PWM controllers is
that they have been around for many years, are cheaper, and are available in a
wider variety of sizes for different applications. Some drawbacks of using a PWM
controller are that when sizing a system the controller must match the voltage of

the battery bank, and PWM controllers are normally limited to 60 amps
maximum.

Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT)

Multiple Power Point Tracking (MPPT) charge controllers take into account the
fact that a solar panel sometimes puts out variable output due to weather
conditions, and can automatically match the voltage it is producing to the voltage
of the battery in order to maximize charging efficiency. MPPT controllers have
the capacity to handle more than PWM controllers and can go up to 80 amps, and
allow for more expansion within the system. The main drawback is that MPPT
charge controllers are much more expensive than PWM controllers.

Battery
In stand-alone photovoltaic system, the electrical energy produced by the PV array cannot
always be used when it is produced because the demand for energy does not always coincide
with its production. Electrical storage batteries are commonly used in PV system. The primary
functions of a storage battery in a PV system are:
1. Energy Storage Capacity and Autonomy: to store electrical energy when it is produced by
the PV array and to supply energy to electrical loads as needed or on demand.
2. Voltage and Current Stabilization: to supply power to electrical loads at stable voltages
and currents, by suppressing or smoothing out transients that may occur in PV system.
Supply Surge Currents: to supply surge or high peak operating currents to electrical loads
or appliances.
Protection equipment
The main protections and protective gears are named here:
1. Fuses
for string
Fuses for array/inverter input protection
2. Fuse holders
For string protection
Panel mount fuse holder
In-line fuse holders
Array/inverter input protection

 Dead front fuse covers

3. Surge protection devices
4. DC switch
Load break disconnect switches
High power switches
5. Cooling devices
6. Ground-fault protection
SCADA System
Data acquisition system for a solar plant is very important because it is important to monitor the
overall system condition including input/output condition, temperature, solar insolation, weather
condition, voltage/current fluctuation, output power condition, surge effect, load dispatch etc.