Popular Articles
What is a .PAN file?
A *.pan file is a file extension of the PVSYST software which groups all the characteristics of the panel, notably electrical, in order to simulate the production of a PV system as a whole. These files are usually available from manufacturers. We can ...
What is an EL test?
Electroluminescence is a non-destructive inspection based on the following principle: when a PV cell is subjected to a current, it emits radiation in the infrared range. Using a suitable camera, it is possible to perceive this radiation and thus ...
What is Vmpp?
Vmpp is the voltage of the module at the maximum power point. At this point the module produces the most possible amount of electrical power for the actual radiation. Similar to the open circuit voltage, the maximum power voltage depends mostly on ...
What is Tier1?
BloombergNEF has developed a tiering system for PV module makers based on bankability, to create a transparent differentiation between the hundreds of manufacturers of solar modules on the market. Since this basic categorization has been used as an ...
What is ETN / ATEC?
The ETN (New Technical Study) and ATEC (Technical Opinion) are technical studies of compatibility between given solar Panels and mounting systems . The technical evaluation is carried out by control offices and by Building Scientific and Technical ...
Recent Articles
What are bypass diodes and why are they important for a solar cell?
When a cell is shaded it produces less current and then impacted all the others connected in serie. This results in a loss of power delivered by the module but also a risk of hotspot due to the fact that the polarity of the shaded cell is reversed ...
What is LETID (light and elevated temperature degradation)?
LETID is a degradation mechanism of PV modules exposed to high temperature and a light simultaneously over a long time. Up to 10% degradation are generally observed. PV manufacturers have been optimizing their process to mitigate this effect ...
What is a low reflectance module?
Low reflectance modules are modules with a different type of glas. The glas is textured, so it will not reflect the irradiation of the sun directly. Due to the textured surface the reflected light has no main direction. The french direction of public ...
What does LCOE mean?
LCOE is a short form for levelized costs of electricity. It is a ratio between all the costs of a power plant and all revenues for electricity. So, the LCOE take costs of building, operating and dismantling of the plant as well as possible fuel ...
What is BOS?
BOS stands for "Balance Of System". Most of the time it includes all the components of the PV system except the modules (mounting systems, inverters, cables, fuses, disconnecting devices, weather sensors, monitoring sensors...). When we calculate the ...