The Application of Novel Platinum-Reinforced Tin-Silver-Copper Solder to Bifacial Photovoltaic Module for Improvement of Yield and Reliability

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chin Kim Lo ◽  
Yun Seng Lim ◽  
Mee Chu Wong ◽  
Yee Kai Tian
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solder Joint ◽  
Lead Free ◽  
Energy Yield ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Snagcu Solder ◽  
Silver Copper ◽  
Pv Module ◽  
Pv Modules ◽  
Tin Silver Copper

The characteristics of solder joints between the busbars of solar cells and copper ribbons can affect the performance of a photovoltaic (PV) module significantly. The resistivity of the joints and the intermetallic compound structures within the joints are the two main characteristics that impose a substantial impact on the yield and the reliability of the PV module. In this paper, we aim to present and analyze a novel platinum-reinforced tin-silver-copper (Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu-0.2Pt) as the lead-free solder material to connect copper ribbons to the metallization of bifacial solar cells. The performance of the PV module using platinum-reinforced solder is investigated by constructing two bifacial PV modules using the popular lead-free Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu solder and Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu-0.2Pt solder, respectively. Micrographs of the joints are obtained to show that the platinum-reinforced solder joint has fewer voids and a more evenly distributed and thinner intermetallic layer than that of a conventional SnAgCu solder joint. As a result, the physical attachment between the busbars and the ribbon using SnAgCuPt solder is stronger than that using SnAgCu solder. The power outputs of both PV modules are measured together with two commercial PV modules under the sun using an IV plotter. The results show that the total energy yield of the bifacial PV module with the new solder is about 6–10% higher than that with the conventional SnAgCu solder. The energy yield of the bifacial PV module using SnAgCuPt solder is 35.8% and 0.2% higher than that of the commercially available monofacial polycrystalline and monocrystalline PV modules, respectively.

The Effect of Multiple Reflow Times on Lead-Free Solder Joint Microstructure

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sami T. Nurmi ◽  
Janne J. Sundelin ◽  
Eero O. Ristolainen ◽  
Toivo K. Lepisto¨
Keyword(s):  
Solder Joint ◽  
Solder Joints ◽  
Lead Free ◽  
Lead Free Solder ◽  
Solder Paste ◽  
Snagcu Solder ◽  
Silver Copper ◽  
Free Solder ◽  
Tin Silver Copper ◽  
Lead Free Solders

As environmental issues are raising more interest and are becoming crucial factors in all parts of the world, more and more environmental-friendly electronics products are emerging. Usually this means the introduction of products with lead-free solders. However, the reliability of lead-free solders is still a serious concern despite the vast research done in this field. This paper will describe the interconnect reliability of three kinds of solder joints respectively prepared with lead-free solder paste and lead-free PBGA components, lead-free solder paste and tin-lead-silver PBGA components, and tin-lead solder paste and tin-lead-silver PBGA components. Lead-free and tin-lead solders were composed of eutectic tin-silver-copper and tin-lead, respectively. In addition, the study also presents the effect of multiple reflow times. The study focuses on the microstructures of different assemblies. The particular interest is on the assemblies soldered with lead-free solder paste and tin-lead-silver PBGA components, since the SnPbAg solder on the bumps of the PBGA components were exposed to the reflow profile meant for the lead-free SnAgCu solder. Thus, these SnPbAg solder bumps were in the molten state almost twice as long as the rest of the solders. This had a notable effect on the reliability of these solder joints as we will be showing later in this paper. The test boards were temperature-cycled for 2500 cycles between −40 and +125°C (a 30-minute cycle). PBGA solder joint failures were monitored with a real time monitoring system. Optical and scanning electron microscopy was used to inspect the broken solder joints and their microstructure. The results of tests indicate that the number of reflow times can significantly affect the lifetime of PBGA solder joints. The most notable changes can be seen in the solder joints made with tin-lead-silver PBGA components and tin-silver-copper solder paste soldered with a lead-free reflow profile. The general trend was that the reliability of the solder joints increased in proportion to the number of reflow times. Mainly two factors are believed to have the major effect on the reliability of PBGA solder joints, voids, and microstructural changes in solder.

Materials Characterization of Lead Free Compositions for Minimum Temperature SMT Processes at the SLI-Second Level Interconnect Solder Joint

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman J. Armendariz ◽  
Prawin Paulraj
Keyword(s):  
Solder Joint ◽  
Printed Circuit Board ◽  
Gold Surface ◽  
Circuit Board ◽  
Lead Free ◽  
Processing Temperature ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Printed Circuit ◽  
Higher Temperature ◽  
Tin Silver Copper

Abstract The European Union is banning the use of Pb in electronic products starting July 1st, 2006. Printed circuit board assemblies or “motherboards” require that planned CPU sockets and BGA chipsets use lead-free solder ball compositions at the second level interconnections (SLI) to attach to a printed circuit board (PCB) and survive various assembly and reliability test conditions for end-use deployment. Intel is pro-actively preparing for this anticipated Pb ban, by evaluating a new lead free (LF) solder alloy in the ternary Tin- Silver-Copper (Sn4.0Ag0.5Cu) system and developing higher temperature board assembly processes. This will be pursued with a focus on achieving the lowest process temperature required to avoid deleterious higher temperature effects and still achieve a metallurgically compatible solder joint. One primary factor is the elevated peak reflow temperature required for surface mount technology (SMT) LF assembly, which is approximately 250 °C compared to present eutectic tin/lead (Sn37Pb) reflow temperatures of around 220 °C. In addition, extended SMT time-above-liquidus (TAL) and subsequent cooling rates are also a concern not only for the critical BGA chipsets and CPU BGA sockets but to other components similarly attached to the same PCB substrate. PCBs used were conventional FR-4 substrates with organic solder preservative on the copper pads and mechanical daisychanged FCBGA components with direct immersion gold surface finish on their copper pads. However, a materials analysis method and approach is also required to characterize and evaluate the effect of low peak temperature LF SMT processing on the PBA SLI to identify the absolute limits or “cliffs” and determine if the minimum processing temperature and TAL could be further lowered. The SLI system is characterized using various microanalytical techniques, such as, conventional optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and microhardness testing. In addition, the SLI is further characterized using macroanalytical techniques such as dye penetrant testing (DPT) with controlled tensile testing for mechanical strength in addition to disbond and crack area mapping to complete the analysis.

scholarly journals A Simple Mismatch Mitigating Partial Power Processing Converter for Solar PV Modules

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 2308
Author(s):  
Kamran Ali Khan Niazi ◽  
Yongheng Yang ◽  
Tamas Kerekes ◽  
Dezso Sera
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Energy Yield ◽  
Power Electronic ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Partial Shading ◽  
Loss Analysis ◽  
Pv Systems ◽  
Pv Module ◽  
Pv Modules ◽  
In Series

Partial shading affects the energy harvested from photovoltaic (PV) modules, leading to a mismatch in PV systems and causing energy losses. For this purpose, differential power processing (DPP) converters are the emerging power electronic-based topologies used to address the mismatch issues. Normally, PV modules are connected in series and DPP converters are used to extract the power from these PV modules by only processing the fraction of power called mismatched power. In this work, a switched-capacitor-inductor (SCL)-based DPP converter is presented, which mitigates the non-ideal conditions in solar PV systems. A proposed SCL-based DPP technique utilizes a simple control strategy to extract the maximum power from the partially shaded PV modules by only processing a fraction of the power. Furthermore, an operational principle and loss analysis for the proposed converter is presented. The proposed topology is examined and compared with the traditional bypass diode technique through simulations and experimental tests. The efficiency of the proposed DPP is validated by the experiment and simulation. The results demonstrate the performance in terms of higher energy yield without bypassing the low-producing PV module by using a simple control. The results indicate that achieved efficiency is higher than 98% under severe mismatch (higher than 50%).

scholarly journals Design of PV Modules Including a Layer between Solar Cells and Glass Cover to Increase PV Module Lifetime

2018 ◽  
Vol 182 (19) ◽  
pp. 18-23
Author(s):  
M. Mokhtar ◽  
Wagdy R. ◽  
Mohamed Abouelatta ◽  
A. I.
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Glass Cover ◽  
Pv Module ◽  
Pv Modules

scholarly journals Outdoor Performance Test of Bifacial n-Type Silicon Photovoltaic Modules

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 6234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyeonwook Park ◽  
Sungho Chang ◽  
Sanghwan Park ◽  
Woo Kyoung Kim
Keyword(s):  
Tilt Angle ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Power Production ◽  
Energy Yield ◽  
Concrete Floor ◽  
Photovoltaic Modules ◽  
Pv Module ◽  
Pv Modules ◽  
Solar Tracker ◽  
One Year

The outdoor performance of n-type bifacial Si photovoltaic (PV) modules and string systems was evaluated for two different albedo (ground reflection) conditions, i.e., 21% and 79%. Both monofacial and bifacial silicon PV modules were prepared using n-type bifacial Si passivated emitter rear totally diffused cells with multi-wire busbar incorporated with a white and transparent back-sheet, respectively. In the first set of tests, the power production of the bifacial PV string system was compared with the monofacial PV string system installed on a grey concrete floor with an albedo of ~21% for approximately one year (June 2016–May 2017). In the second test, the gain of the bifacial PV string system installed on the white membrane floor with an albedo of ~79% was evaluated for approximately ten months (November 2016–August 2017). During the second test, the power production by an equivalent monofacial module installed on a horizontal solar tracker was also monitored. The gain was estimated by comparing the energy yield of the bifacial PV module with that of the monofacial module. For the 1.5 kW PV string systems with a 30° tilt angle to the south and 21% ground albedo, the year-wide average bifacial gain was determined to be 10.5%. An increase of the ground albedo to 79% improved the bifacial gain to 33.3%. During the same period, the horizontal single-axis tracker yielded an energy gain of 15.8%.

scholarly journals Exergoeconomic and Enviroeconomic Analysis of Photovoltaic Modules of Different Solar Cells

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ankita Gaur ◽  
G. N. Tiwari
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Cost Reduction ◽  
Loss Rate ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Environmental Cost ◽  
New Delhi ◽  
Net Energy ◽  
Pv Module ◽  
Pv Modules ◽  
The One

The exergoeconomic and enviroeconomic analysis of semitransparent and opaque photovoltaic (PV) modules based on different kinds of solar cells are presented. Annual electricity and net present values have also been computed for the composite climatic conditions of New Delhi, India. Irrespective of the solar cell type, the semitransparent PV modules have shown higher net energy loss rate (Len) and net exergy loss rate (Lex) compared to the opaque ones. Among all types of solar modules, the one based on c-Si, exhibited the minimum Len and Lex. Compared to the opaque ones, the semitransparent PV modules have shown higher CO2 reduction giving higher environmental cost reduction per annum and the highest environmental cost reduction per annum was found for a-Si PV module.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Performance of Various PV Module Technologies in Peru

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Romero-Fiances ◽  
Emilio Muñoz-Cerón ◽  
Rafael Espinoza-Paredes ◽  
Gustavo Nofuentes ◽  
Juan De la Casa
Keyword(s):  
Crystalline Silicon ◽  
Performance Ratio ◽  
Energy Yield ◽  
Actual Behavior ◽  
Low Light ◽  
Light Levels ◽  
Pv Module ◽  
Pv Modules ◽  
Parameter Ranges ◽  
Pv Grid

A knowledge gap exists about the actual behavior of PV grid-connected systems (PVGCS) using various PV technologies in Peru. This paper presents the results of an over three-year-long performance evaluation of a 3.3-kWp monocrystalline silicon (sc-Si) PVGCS located in Arequipa, a 3.3-kWp sc-Si PVGCS located in Tacna, and a 3-kWp policrystalline (mc-Si) PVGCS located in Lima. An assessment of the performance of a 3.5-kWp amorphous silicon/crystalline silicon hetero-junction (a-Si/µc-Si) PVGCS during over one and a half years of being in Lima is also presented. The annual final yields obtained lie within 1770–1992 kWh/kW, 1505–1540 kWh/kW, and 736–833 kWh/kW for Arequipa, Tacna, and Lima, respectively, while the annual PV array energy yield achieved by a-Si/µc-Si is 1338 kWh/kW. The annual performance ratio stays in the vicinity of 0.83 for sc-Si in Arequipa and Tacna while this parameter ranges from 0.70 to 0.77 for mc-Si in Lima. An outstanding DC annual performance ratio of 0.97 is found for a-Si/µc-Si in the latter site. The use of sc-Si and presumably, mc-Si PV modules in desert climates, such as that of Arequipa and Tacna, is encouraged. However, sc-Si and presumably, mc-Si-technologies experience remarkable temperature and low irradiance losses in Lima. By contrast, a-Si/µc-Si PV modules perform much better in the latter site thanks to being less influenced by both temperature and low light levels.

scholarly journals Analysis of the cooling of PV modules with water on their efficiency

2020 ◽  
Vol 154 ◽  
pp. 05006
Author(s):  
Wojciech Luboń ◽  
Mirosław Janowski ◽  
Grzegorz Pełka ◽  
Paweł Reczek
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Water Film ◽  
Maximum Power ◽  
Cell Temperature ◽  
Photovoltaic Modules ◽  
Continuous Cooling ◽  
Pv Module ◽  
Pv Modules

The article presents the results of research on the efficiency of photovoltaic modules cooled by water. The purpose of the experiment was to improve the working conditions of the solar cells. Lowering the cell temperature increases the power generated by the device. The decrease in the temperature of the PV module was obtained by pouring water on the upper surface of the cells, as rain imitation or a water film. The power of the cooled and non-cooled devices were compared. The best results were achieved by cooling cells with a water film since there were no water splashes. The continuous cooling of cells surface causes a 20% increase of device's power. During the test, the non-cooled module reached the maximum power of 172 W, while the cooled one - 205 W. Cooling the module resulted in an increase in power by 33 W. In addition, the temperature of the cells dropped to almost 25°C. At this time, the temperature of the non-cooled module was 45°C. The presented solution may be an interesting proposition for small installations. The solution can also be an alternative for cleaning the modules due to the improvement in the power of the module after the test in terms of their power before.

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