I am in my 5th year as a Physics major at Michigan Tech. As my Senior Research project I will be working on Solar Photovoltaic Systems Optimization.
Research Outline/Summary[edit | edit source]
Factors that affect PV performance
- Grass/Snow albedo
- Geographical spectral distribution
- Cloud Cover
- Snow cover
- Tilt Angle?
- Seasonal inclination of Sun
- Seasonal weather dependence
Combining all these factors, what is the net spectral distribution?
- Matlab code that models the spectral distribution, based on the above factors, is desired. This will allow for the generation of accurate spectral data for any geographical location.
Using the spectral data generated by the Matlab code, the power output of various PV materials can be calculated using QE curves for each material.
- Explain the properties of PV materials and how QE relates to power output.
Using actual data from different locations (Canada, Bolivia):
- The power output can be calculated for various PV materials just as was done with the code simulated spectral data.
- The power outputs/spectral data of the code simulation can be compared to actual power outputs/spectral data to see how accurate the simulated data is.