Alessandro Francesco Aldo Virtuani

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Corrosion is one of the main end-of-life degradation and failure modes in photovoltaic (PV) modules. However, it is a gradual process and can take many years to become a major risk factor because of the slow accumulation of water and acetic acid (from enca ...

Lightweight PV modules are attractive for building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) applications, especially for renovated buildings, where the additional load bearing capacity is limited. This work focuses on the development of a lightweight, glass-free pho ...

Accurate and reproducible color characterization is essential for colored building integrated photovoltaic products, both for manufacturing quality control and assessing long-term color stability. However, existing characterization techniques struggle to a ...

With the 2010/31/EU directive, all new buildings shall be nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEB) from 2020 onward, with the aim of strongly reducing the energy consumption related to the building sector. To achieve this goal, it is not sufficient to focus on ...

Solar electricity is set to play a pivotal role in future energy systems. In view of a market that may soon reach the terawatt (TW) scale, a careful assessment of the performance of photovoltaic (PV) systems becomes critical. Research on PV fault detection ...

Potential-induced degradation (PID) may be a serious concern in photovoltaic (PV) modules and plants, particularly when approaching high system voltages (1500+ V). Here, we investigate PID occurring in bifacial rear-emitter silicon heterojunction (SHJ) sol ...

Silicon heterojunction (SHJ)-solar modules-when encapsulated with ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)-are known to be extremely sensitive to water ingress. The reason for this is, however, not clear. Here, we explain the root causes of this degradation mechanism ...

The TISO-10-kW plant, installed in Lugano (Switzerland) in 1982, is the first grid-connected PV plant in Europe. In a joint publication (part 1), we presented the results of the electrical characterization performed in 2017-after 35 years of operation-of t ...

In this work we use and further elaborate a previously proposed model to describe the daily performance ratio of amorphous (a-Si) and crystalline silicon (c-Si) photovoltaic solar modules under real operating conditions. For both technologies, the model wa ...

This work investigates t the effectiveness of glass-glass solar PV module structures used in combination with a EVA as an encapsulant material. The use of EVA in glass-glass structures is in principle discouraged, as a bioproduct of its photo-degradation i ...

Residential photovoltaic systems often experience partial shading from chimneys, trees or other structures, which can induce hot-spots in the modules. If the temperature and frequency of these hot-spots are high, the module's reliability and safety may be ...

We evaluate the effect of storage conditions of uncured encapsulant rolls and the potential consequences on photovoltaic (PV) module performance. We show the impact of residual water trapped inside laminated double glass PV modules after lamination and dur ...

In this work, we investigate the relationship between potential-induced degradation (PID) and the bill of material used in module manufacturing. We manufacture samples with different combination of materials, using two types of solar cells (conventional vs ...

The ever-growing secondary market of photovoltaic (PV) systems (i.e., the transaction of solar plants ownership) calls for reliable and high-quality long-term PV degradation forecasts to mitigate the financial risks. However, when long-term PV performance ...

The TISO-10-kW solar plant, connected to the grid in 1982, is the oldest installation of this kind in Europe. Its history is well documented, and the full set of modules has been tested indoors at regular intervals over the years. After 35 years of operati ...

Because of building skin integration with restricted or reduced rear-side ventilation, elevated operating temperatures are expected in building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) modules and systems, which may impact their long performance and reliability. Th ...

Recent studies showed that silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells can be prone to potential induced degradation (PID) when encapsulated with a low volume resistivity ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). We perform PID test in humid conditions (85°C/85% RH) on g ...

Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) operate in a unique environment compared with field-mounted systems and may experience elevated temperatures and recurrent or persistent shading. These stresses are expected to accelerate degradation, but there are ...

The high-efficiency silicon heterojunction (SHJ) technology is now perceived mature enough to enter the Giga-Watt manufacturing scale with several players around the globe. The growth of the SHJ technology requires confidence from manufacturers, investors, ...

Recent studies showed that SHJ solar cells can be prone to PID when encapsulated with a low volume resistivity encapsulant, such as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). These studies also demonstrated that their degradation mechanism is different from Al-BSF modu ...

Alessandro Francesco Aldo Virtuani

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Corrosion testing of solar cells: Wear-out degradation behavior

Thermo-mechanical stability of lightweight glass-free photovoltaic modules based on a composite substrate

Accurate color characterization of solar photovoltaic modules for building integration

Innovative Renewable Technology Integration for Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings within the Re-COGNITION Project

Intrinsic performance loss rate: Decoupling reversible and irreversible losses for an improved assessment of photovoltaic system performance

Potential-induced degradation in bifacial silicon heterojunction solar modules: Insights and mitigation strategies

A comprehensive physical model for the sensitivity of silicon heterojunction photovoltaic modules to water ingress

35 years of photovoltaics: Analysis of the TISO-10-kW solar plant, lessons learnt in safety and performance-Part 2

Modelling the performance of amorphous and crystalline silicon in different typologies of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) conditions

EVA for Glass/Glass Solar PV Modules: Effect of encasulant storage conditions and process parameters

The effect of partial shading on the reliability of photovoltaic modules in the built-environment

The effect of storage conditions on the long-term stability of ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA) copolymer used in glass/glass modules

One-type-fits-all-systems: Strategies for preventing potential-induced degradation in crystalline silicon solar photovoltaic modules

Photovoltaic lifetime forecast model based on degradation patterns

35 years of photovoltaics: Analysis of the TISO-10-kW solar plant, lessons learnt in safety and performance-Part 1

Operating Temperatures and Diurnal Temperature Variations of Modules Installed in Open-Rack and Typical BIPV Configurations

Optimized Module Packaging for Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells and Increased PID Resistance

Long-Term Performance and Shade Detection in Building Integrated Photovoltaic Systems

Long-term performance and reliability of silicon heterojunction solar modules

Encapsulant Selection for PID Resistant Modules Made with Heterojunction Solar Cells