Chosen diagnostic methods of photovoltaic modules
Solar modules under ordinary working condition are exposed to amount of degradation factors which deteriorate their properties. The most important degradation of PV modules during operation are optical, electrical and thermal degradation. The result of these factors is performance degradation of the modules, or even can caused their fault. It is important to find the cause of the fault and its timely removal. The choice of convenient diagnostic method can reduce financial losses and increases safety of photovoltaic power plant. The example of tests performed on PV modules by using infrared (IR) thermography and, potential induced degradation (PID) are presented in this paper.
Integrated micro tesla magnetic sensor for detecting photovoltaic cells failure
Recently more attention on the failure of PV systems has been paid and more reports have been found in PV related papers. Various methods to detect failure of PV module have been developed; They are visual method, I-V characteristic method, electroluminescence (EL) method, UV fluorescence method, signal transmission method, IR thermography method, photoluminescence (PL) method. However, each method has some limitations. Developing a new alternative diagnostic method of PV cells will be required for efficient operation of PV system. The proposed method uses μ-tesla magnetic sensor (MI-CB-1DM) to detect failure in a PV cell. The experimental design carried out in this study covered two stages. In the first stage, we developed a method for detecting faults in PV cells using the μ-tesla magnetic sensor method. In this second stage a calculation will be made to determine the current level due to the failure of the PV cell. The results show that Bx at the lower busbar in the degraded module has smaller magnetic density than the upper busbar. No obvious difference can be seen in the Bx and By profiles between the normal and degraded cells.
Protecting Marine Biodiversity on the Continental Shelf Beyond 200 Nautical Miles
States are expending significant effort to chart the extent of their continental shelves where these extend beyond 200 nautical miles. As more is understood about marine biodiversity on the outer continental shelf, states may wish to regulate the use of biodiversity for the purposes of conservation or for future exploitation. This article identifies potential threats to marine biodiversity on the continental shelf, explores whether conservation is a legitimate purpose for exercising coastal state rights over the outer continental shelf under the Law of the Sea Convention, and considers the various legal rules that coastal states may use to protect marine biodiversity. The article concludes that the continental shelf regime is undesirably vague in some instances but that coastal states have a legal basis for taking action to regulate activities that impact the marine biodiversity of the outer continental shelf.