Reliability of Photovoltaic Modules in the Field

Speaker: Juzer Vasi
Affiliation: National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE), IIT Bombay

Abstract:
The world over, solar energy has emerged as a competitive, clean source of energy. Solar photovoltaic (PV) modules are expected to last for 25 years in the field, sometimes in harsh climatic conditions, so their reliability and durability are of utmost concern. India has an ambitious program to install 100 GW of solar power over the next 5 years. NCPRE has undertaken an exhaustive study of the performance of PV modules which have been installed in the field in India, and estimated the degradation rate (% of power loss per year). The results shed light of the mechanisms of degradation in various climates of India, as well as highlight differences based on technology of the PV module, age of the module, and whether roof- or ground-mounted. The results obtained from the India survey are also compared with data from the USA under our joint India-USA solar energy collaboration.

Biography:
Juzer Vasi has been with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay since 1981. He has worked in the areas of microelectronics and photovoltaics. He was Principal Investigator of the “National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education” (NCPRE) at IIT Bombay, and is currently India Research Thrust Leader for Photovoltaics of the “Solar Energy Research Institute for India and the US” (SERIIUS). He was an Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices during 1997-2003. He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of IEEE, and a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet of the Government of India. He has a B.Tech. degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Bombay, and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University.

For more information, contact Prof. Subramanian Iyer (s.s.iyer@ucla.edu)

Date/Time:
Date(s) - Jun 05, 2017
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Location:
EE-IV Shannon Room #54-134
420 Westwood Plaza - 5th Flr., Los Angeles CA 90095