Awards:

CREST student takes EU-PVSEC award with PhotoClass work

Each year at the European PV Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition, (EU PVSEC) student awards are given to encourage and recognise high-quality work among young researchers internationally

 

EU PVSEC is the largest international conference for photovoltaic research, technologies and applications, and a world renowned science-to-science, business-to-business and science-to-industry platform with a full and only focus on the global PV Solar sector.  

This year there were 37 applications for these awards, all of which were reviewed and scored by its International Scientific Committee, made up of more than 200 leading research and industry experts from the global PV community. 

We are proud that one of the awards was collected in Hamburg by CREST PhD student George Koutsourakis, who works between CREST and NPL on the PhotoClass project.


George’s abstract (full paper here or DOI: 10.4229/EUPVSEC20152015-1AO.2.3):

Fast Current Mapping of Photovoltaic Devices Using Compressive Sampling

Compressed sensing (CS) sampling theory is applied to the Light Beam Induced Current (LBIC) measurement technique in order to significantly reduce measurement time while maintaining or increasing accuracy. Using this method, a current map of the device can be reconstructed from far fewer measurements by means of an optimisation algorithm. Measurement simulations are implemented using a two dimensional photovoltaic (PV) device model to explore the capabilities and limitations of the method. A physical realisation of the technique is demonstrated. The raster scanning process of the LBIC system is replaced with a Digital Micro-mirror Device (DMD) pattern projection system. Measurement speed is also improved due to the response time of the DMD pattern generator, which is less than 20μs. An experimental CS-LBIC setup, alongside with initial experimental results that indicate the feasibility of the method are presented.

 

Best Paper was awarded to George Koutsourakis et al. (University of Loughborough)

The Best Paper at the 11th Photovoltaic Science Application and Technology (PVSAT-11) Conference was awarded to George Koutsourakis et al. (University of Loughborough) for his presenation "Towards Current Mapping of Photovoltaic Devices by Compressed Imaging"

 

 

Loughborough University PhD students take UK PVSAT conference prize for consecutive year with PhotoClass work

Following George Koutsourakis’ success last year, Loughborough University PhD student Syira Alhusna has won this year’s student poster prize at the UK’s main national photovoltaics conference “PV Science, Application and Technology” (Opens external link in new windowPVSAT-12 hosted by the University of Liverpool 6th-8th April 2016).

Syira has been developing a novel polychromatic filtered light technique for determination of spectral response characteristics of large-scale PV modules as part of the EMRP PhotoClass project. Her paper on “Validation of Spectral Response Polychromatic Method Measurement of Full Size Photovoltaic Modules using Outdoor Measured Data” takes validation of the approach outside the laboratory for the first time, comparing models of current generation to outdoor monitoring data:

This paper presents the validation of a polychromatic method of spectral response measurement applied to full size mono-crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules using outdoor measured data. The difference between short-circuit current modelled from the measured spectral response and outdoor spectral irradiance and the directly-measured current is below 5% which confirms the validity of the spectral response curve obtained using the polychromatic measurement method<xml>.</xml>

 

Poster: "Validation of Spectral Response Polychromatic Method Measurement of Full Size Photovoltaic Modules using Outdoor Measured Data"

 

Full Paper: Full Paper: "Validation of Spectral Response Polychromatic Method Measurement of Full Size Photovoltaic Modules using Outdoor Measured Data"