Application of the reduced I-V Blaesser’s characteristics in predicting PV modules and cells conversion efficiency in medium and high insolation conditions

The article presents theoretical foundations of application of the reduced I-V Blaesser’s characteristics in predicting a photovoltaic cell/module (PV) efficiency, together with calculation procedures. A detailed analysis of the error of this transformation method of characteristics was carried out. Its practical application in predicting efficiency of operation of various PV cells and modules in medium and high insulation conditions was demonstrated. The practical suitability of the presented method in early detection of ageing phenomena, such as, for example, absorber degradation taking place in PV modules, was demonstrated. The article was prepared on the basis of the results of testing five different PV modules with various constructions, made of different materials and absorbers, such as: c-Si, mc-Si, CIS, a-Si_SJ, a-Si_TJ. The used measurement data were collected during the 16-year period of the experimental PV modules testing system operation in Opole University, equipped with a data acquisition system.