This paper reviews the energy yield enhancement characteristics of bifacial photovoltaic systems combined with solar tracking, focusing on their performance relative to conventional monofacial fixed-tilt configurations. The fundamental mechanisms of yield improvement are summarized, highlighting the largely additive contributions of solar tracking, which increases front-side irradiance, and bifacial modules, which utilize rear-side reflected and diffuse radiation. Reported results from previous studies indicate that bifacial systems with single-axis tracking typically achieve 25–35% higher annual energy yield compared with standard monofacial fixed-tilt systems, with variations depending on environmental and design conditions. Key design and environmental considerations influencing system performance are discussed to provide practical insights for the application of bifacial tracking systems in utilityscale photovoltaic installations.

This paper proposes a circular sequential lighting control method to reduce current imbalance and luminance deviation among multiple LED modules in AC-powered LED lighting systems. Conventional fixed-sequence lighting control repeatedly prioritizes the same LED modules in every rectified voltage cycle, which leads to unequal current distribution, luminance non-uniformity, and the accelerated degradation of specific modules during long-term operation. To address these limitations, a circular sequential lighting strategy is introduced, in which the lighting order is cyclically rotated at every rectified cycle, ensuring that all LED modules experience equal lighting opportunities. A prototype AC-LED lighting system consisting of four series-connected LED modules was implemented and experimentally evaluated. The results demonstrate that, while the conventional fixed-sequence method produces a maximum average current deviation of up to 1.6 mA among modules, the proposed method equalizes the average current across all modules to approximately 17.1 mA. Furthermore, the flicker index remains at 0.13, which is comparable to that of the conventional method, indicating that luminance uniformity is improved without degradation of optical performance. The proposed circular sequential lighting control effectively distributes electrical stress, enhances luminance uniformity, and improves long-term reliability, making it a practical and efficient solution for high-quality AC-LED lighting applications.

Long lifetime, low power consumption, and environmental friendliness have enabled light-emitting diode (LED) lighting to rapidly replace conventional light sources such as incandescent and fluorescent lamps. In particular, AC-LED lighting systems can be directly powered by commercial alternating current (AC) sources; however, they suffer from significant luminance deviation caused by uneven current distribution among LED light-emitting modules. This paper proposes a lighting control method that improves flicker performance while maintaining lamp brightness and effectively reduces luminance deviation in AC-LED lighting. The proposed method reduces luminance deviation by controlling the lighting order of multiple LED light-emitting modules. Among four LED modules, only the required number of modules is continuously turned on, and the lighting priority alternates between rectification cycles. Specifically, during odd rectification cycles, LED modules are activated sequentially in ascending order (11→12→13→14), whereas during even rectification cycles, they are activated in descending order (14→13→12→11). By alternately applying continuous lighting control with opposite activation orders, the proposed reverse alternating lighting control method equalizes the current distribution among LED modules. As a result, luminance uniformity is improved, electrical stress concentration on specific modules is reduced, and the operational lifetime of the LED modules is extended compared with the conventional fixed-sequence lighting control method.

To ensure the long-term reliability of flexible photovoltaic (FPV) modules, it is crucial to develop an effective moisture barrier layer that prevents the infiltration of moisture and oxygen. We developed such a layer composed of parylene (700 nm) and AlOx (70 nm), optimizing its material properties, moisture-blocking performance, and processing conditions. The barrier layer applied to the Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) substrate demonstrated a water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of 6.33 × 10^-2 g/m²/day and an average visible light transmittance (AVT) of 85.3% over the 380-780 nm wavelength range. For the FPV module with this barrier, Damp/Heat (DH) reliability testing was conducted at 85℃ and 85% relative humidity for up to 1,000 hours. During testing, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) decreased slightly from 25.4% (0 hr) to 24.7% (1,000 hr), reflecting a minimal reduction of only 0.7%. The primary cause of degradation was identified as a -4% relative change in shortcircuit current density (JSC) before and after DH testing. Consequently, the ETFE/parylene/AlOx multilayer moisture barrier proved highly effective in ensuring the long-term reliability of solar modules.

We propose a real-time information propagation arithmetic neural network (PANN) that minimizes the loss of power generation output of the system in the event of sudden changes in the module due to strong external typhoons or earthquakes at the solar power generation facility site. In addition, we propose a new double-sided module reflector that can reduce the local loss of power generation efficiency of the single-sided module reflector that is currently widely distributed, as well as the environmental pollution and inconvenience of maintenance work of the existing double-sided module. We present a computational network that can detect the faulty solar panel in real-time by checking the fault status of the installed solar panel and using a real-time computation method through a node-to-node diffusion method. In particular, this method recognizes the power loss part due to sudden changes in the module in real time and can take emergency measures for various nonlinear field facilities through a neural structure that finds the optimal distance up, down, left, and right. To confirm the characteristics of the loss reduction control of the field facility, we confirmed that the system was configured as a 7-degree-of-freedom control model using the PANN neural network learning structure method and improved the power generation output. PANN (Propagation Arithmetic Neural Networks) and various module systems are proposed for the real-time recovery of faulty solar panels and improving module system efficiency.

One method to increase the output of solar modules is the application of the Half-cut technique, which requires a scribing process involving direct irradiation of infrared lasers on the solar cells. During this process, the laser melts the surface of the solar cells at high temperatures, enabling mechanical division, but this can lead to output loss due to thermal degradation caused by the laser. To minimize such losses, a low-temperature and low-loss division method has been devised. In this study, we compared the electrical characteristics and leakage currents affecting output degradation between the newly devised low temperature and low-loss cell division method and the conventional laser division method. Additionally, we conducted a 3-point flexural test to evaluate the mechanical properties of both methods.

MBB (multi-busbar) technology is a module technology to achieve high power, and the use of a number of thin circular metal wires increases light-receiving capacity and reduces resistance. In the process of interconnection using a wire, the stress of the cell increases depending on the degree of coupling between the wire and the cell and the degree of damage caused by heat, or the mobility of current decreases due to poor bonding. The degree of such loss is affected by IR lamp, hot plate temperature and wire thickness. In addition, the values of contact resistance were compared and analyzed to analyze the cause of the decrease in electrical characteristics. In this study, process condition optimization was carried out through peeling test, SEM analysis, EL test, and pre/post bonding efficiency characteristic analysis of the bonded cell according to process conditions, compared the contact resistance.

The possibility of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) submodule was evaluated as an independent power source that can drive a smart liquid crystal window (SLW) that selectively blocks sunlight when electricity is applied. In order to save energy and increase the functionality of buildings, SLW operation was supplied directly from DSSC submodule, rather than connecting to the existing power system and external power sources. It was confirmed that the SLW can control light transmittance through self-generation using the DSSC submodule composed of 6 cells at low light of 2,500 lux. These results imply that there is a high possibility of combining smart windows and DSSCs suitable for window-type building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems. DSSCs, which can self-generate power in low light, are expected to increase their usability in urban BIPV systems through combination with smart window technology.

Currently, the most developed new energy source is solar energy. Because solar power is installed outside, it is exposed to many pollutants. Pollutants are causing the characteristics of solar energy to deteriorate. Therefore, this study aims to develop a water-repellent coating to prevent contamination of solar modules. Silica and Titania materials are mainly used as water-repellent coating materials. In this study, it was based on silica and the contact angle characteristics were measured according to the change in the amount of silica and ammonia water added and the number of coatings. As a result of the measurement, it was confirmed that the contact angle was more than 60 degrees when 0.5 mol of TEOS was added to 50 mL and 0.15 M when 1 mL of ammonia water was added to 296.47 ml of distilled water. And it was confirmed that the contact angle improved when the number of coatings was applied twice. A water-repellent coating material was applied to low iron tempered glass used to protect dye-sensitized solar cell modules. The characteristics of the module were measured after spraying DI-Water on low-emission tempered glass with a water-repellent coating. As a result of the measurement, the efficiency of the module without application, the efficiency of the module coated once, and the module coated twice were 4.87%, 4.90%, and 4.91%, respectively. It was confirmed that the efficiency of the module increased by applying water-repellent coating. As a result of this study, it is determined that the water-repellent coating material will help improve solar power generation efficiency and lifespan by being self-cleaning and non-reflective.

The energy demand in the world is expected to exceed 740 million TJ by 2040 and our dependence on fossil fuels needs to be switched to sustainable and renewable energy sources like solar energy. Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) is one of the best approaches to extracting solar energy. There are more than 200 BIPV products in the market currently but when it comes to integrating these products into the technical aspects such as buildings’ structural integrity, thermal, daylight retainment and aesthetic prospects to be considered. The share of BIPV integration potential of different building types in the world of residential, agricultural, industrial, commercial and other buildings account for 66%, 4.8%, 8.1%, 19.9%, and 1.2% accordingly. Many solar technologies developed to achieve architectural requirements, but the main problem is the trade-off between efficiency and aesthetic appeal, which is less than 10% in coloured and transparent solar modules. This paper discusses the different applications of solar photovoltaics (PV) in building architecture, technical requirements, and different module technologies. The article provides a comprehensive guide for researchers and designers working on the development of BIPV integrations.

In this paper, we analyzed the transformation of the power following by the angle of incidence of the solar, the angle of photovoltaic module and artificial solar changed from 30° to 90° and synchronously changed the distance from 0.1 m to 0.5 m. Setting the distance between the artificial solar and the luminometer from 0.1 m to 0.5 m and set the angles to 90°, 60°, 45°, and 30°, the angle was 90° and when the distance was 0.1 m, the maximum Illuminance was 19,580 lux, the light could be obtained more. If the angle of incidence between the Artificial solar and the photovoltaic module was 90° and the variable resistance was 1,000 Ω at a distance of 0.4 m, the maximum power reached 0.82 W. Provided that the angle of incidence between the artificial solar and the photovoltaic module was 90° and the distance was 0.2 m since the variable resistance had the maximum power of 500 Ω, the maximum power was 0.78 W. At 1,000 Ω, the maximum power is 0.80 W so the maximum power at the variable resistance 1,000 Ω could obtain higher power than the variable resistance 500 Ω. The variable resistance was 1,000 Ω and the angle of incidence between the Artificial solar and the photovoltaic module was 90° at a distance of 0.4 m, and the maximum power reached 0.82 W. The angle was 60° at 0.3 m and 0.4 m the maximum power reached 0.10 W. The angle was 45° at 0.2 m maximum power reached 0.020 W, the angle was 30° at 0.4 m, and the maximum power reached 0.004 W. In four results about maximum power depending on the angle of incidence between the artificial solar and the photovoltaic module, the luminous efficiency and maximum power can be got the best at an angle of 90°.

In order to spread LED lighting, LED lighting technology directly driven by alternating current (AC) commercial power has recently been introduced. Since current does not flow at a voltage lower than the threshold voltage of the LED, a nonconductive section occurs in the current waveform, and the higher the threshold voltage of the LED, the more discontinuous current waveforms are generated. In this paper, multi-LED modules are connected in series so that the threshold voltage can be adjusted according to the number of LED modules. A small number of LED modules are driven at a low instantaneous rectified voltage, and a large number of LED modules are driven at a high instantaneous rectified voltage to lengthen the overall lighting time of AC-LED lighting, thereby minimizing the luminance deviation of AC-LED lighting. In addition, the load current flowing through the LED module is adjusted to be the same as the design current even at the maximum rectified voltage higher than the design voltage, so that the light brightness of the LED module is kept constant. Therefore, even if the rectified voltage applied to the LED module changes, the AC-LED lighting in which the light brightness is constant and the luminance deviation is minimal has been realized.

In the past, the efficiency of solar cells had been increased in order to increase the efficiency of solar modules. However, in recent years, in order to increase output in the solar industry and market, the competitiveness of solar cells based on large-area solar cells and multi-bus bar has been increasing. Multi-busbar solar module is a technology to reduce power loss by increasing the number and width of the front busbar of the solar cell and reducing the current value delivered by the busbar by half through half-cutting. In the case of the existing M2 (156.75×156.75 ㎟) solar cell, even with a half-cut, power loss could be sufficiently reduced, but as the area of the solar cell is enlarged to more than M6 (166×166 ㎟), the need for more divisions emerged. This affected not only solar cells but also inverters required for module array configuration. Therefore, in this study, the electrical characteristics of a large-area solar cell and after division were extracted using Griddler simulation. The output characteristics of the module were predicted by applying the solar cell parameters after division to PSPice, and a guideline for the large-area solar module design was presented according to the number of divisions of the large-area solar cell.

Global warming is accelerating due to the use of fossil fuels that have been used continuously for centuries. Now, humankind recognizes its seriousness, and is conducting research on searching for eco-friendly and sustainable energy. In the field of solar energy, which is a kind of eco-friendly and sustainable, many studies are being conducted to enhance the output performance of the module. In this study, the output improvement for the shingled module structure was studied. In order to improve the output performance of the module, the thickness of the encapsulant was increased, and the lamination process conditions have been improved accordingly. After that, the crosslinking rate was analyzed, and the suitability of the lamination process conditions was judged using this. In addition, a peeling test was conducted to analyze the correlation between the adhesion of the encapsulant and the output performance of the module. Finally, the optimization for the encapsulant material and the lamination process conditions for high-power shingled modules was established, and accordingly, the market share of high-power shingled modules in the solar module market can be expected to rise.

Interest and investment in renewable energy have increased worldwide, highlighting the need for renewable energy. Solar energy was the most promising energy of all renewable energy sources, and it has the highest investment value. Because photovoltaics require a certain amount of area for installation, high density and high output performance are required. Shingled module is a promising technology in that they are featured by higher density and higher output compared to the conventional modules. Shingled technology uses a laser scribing to divide solar cells that are to be bonded with electrically conductive adhesive (ECA) to produce and connect strings, which has a higher output in the same area than the conventional modules. In the process of producing solar modules, metal ribbons are used to interconnect cells, but they are also needed for string connections in shingled solar cells. Accordingly, in this study, we researched the interconnection that best suits the connector that joins the string to the string. The module outputs produced under the conditions of the string interconnection were compared and analyzed.

As the demand for new and renewable energy increases due to the depletion of fossil fuels, solar power generation, a core energy source for new and renewable energy, requires research on solar modules for high output power generation. In this paper, the electrical characteristics of solar cell strip at the edge and in the center of single-crystal silicon having a semi-square shape were analyzed. The cell strip located in the center showed the efficiency increase by 0.26% compared to the cell strip at the edge of the solar cell. A shingled photovoltaic module was manufactured for each cell strip. As a result, the output power of the module using the cell strip located in the center was higher by 0.992%.

In this study, we fabricated light-weight solar module for various applications such as building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), vehicles, trains, etc. Ethylene tetra fluoro ethylene (ETFE) film was applied as a material to replace the cover glass, which occupies more than 65% of the weight of the PV module. Glass fiber reinforced plastic (GRP) was applied to the ones with a low durability by replacing the cover glass to ETFE. Moreover, to achieve a high solar power conversion in this study, we applied a shingled design to weight reduced solar modules. The shingled module with GRP shows 183.7 W of solar-to-power conversion, and the output reduction rate after weight load test was 1.14%.

Recently, infrared (IR) and near-infrared (NIR) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were widely used for home medical applications owing to its low output power and wide exposed area for curing. For deep penetration of the light under the skin, multiple LEDs with wavelengths of 700~10,000 nm were located on a flexible printed circuit board. When multiple wavelengths of LEDs were soldered on a circuit board, the lifetime of LED module highly depends on LEDs with a short lifetime. The mean time to failure (MTTF) was able to calculate with the experimental results under high temperature and the Arrhenius model. The results of this study could help companies to approve the warranty of LED modules and its product.

An increase in the temperature of photovoltaic (PV) modules causes reduced power output and shorter lifetime. Because of these characteristics, demands for the heat dissipation of PV modules are increasing. In this study, we attached a heat dissipation sheet to the back sheet of a shingled PV module and observed the temperature changes. The PV shingled module was tested under Standard Test Conditions (STCs; irradiance: 1,000 W/m², temperature: 25℃, air mass: 1.5) using a solar radiation tester, wherein the temperature of the PV module was measured by irradiating light for a certain duration. As a result, the temperature of the PV module with the heat dissipation sheet decreased by 3℃ compared to that without a heat dissipation sheet. This indicated that the power loss was caused by a temperature increase of the PV module. In addition, it was confirmed that the primary parameter contributing to the reduced PV module output power was the open circuit voltage (Voc).

The high power of a shingled photovoltaic module can be attributed to its low cell-to-module loss. The production of high power modules in limited area requires high efficiency solar cells. Shingled photovoltaic modules can be made by divided solar cells, which can be produced by the laser scribing process. After dividing the 21% PERC cell using laser scribing, the efficiency decreased by approximately 0.35%. However, there was no change in the efficiency of the solar cell having relatively lower efficiency, because the laser scribing process induce higher heat damages in solar cells with high efficiency. To prove this phenomena, the J₀ (leakage current density) of each cell was analyzed. It was found that the J₀ of 21% PERC increased about 17 times between full and divided solar cell. However, the J₀ of 20.2% PERC increased only about 2.5 times between full and divided solar cell.

In this paper, we prepared miniature fuse fabricated with carbon nanotube (CNT) fiber for the use of low rated current under 1 A and high speed operation under 4ms. CNT fuses were fabricated in the form of universal modular fuse (UMF) with different diameter of CNT fibers defined by multiplying the CNT threads. Electrical properties of the CNT fuses were measured such as resistance, rated current, and operation time with current. Resistance of the CNT fuse decreased and rated current increased with the diameter of the CNT fuses, respectively. Consequently, the operation time with current increased with the diameter of the CNT fuses. The CNT fuses fabricated in this work had broad range of low rated current from 0.05 to 1.25 A by multiplying the CNT threads. Operation time was measured about 3.6ms which was applicable to the UMF.

Recently, with the increase in the use of urban solar power, solar modules are required to produce high power in limited areas. In this report, we proposed the fabrication of a high-power photovoltaic module using shingles technology, and developed accurate string characteristic simulations based on circuit modeling. By comparing the resistance components between the interconnected cells and the cell strips, the ECA resistance was determined to be 0.003 Ω. Based on the equivalent circuit of the modeled shingled string, string simulation was performed according to the type of cell strip. As a result, it was determined that the cell efficiency of the 4-cell strip was the highest at 19.66%, but the efficiency of the string simulated with the 6-cell strip was the highest at 20.48% in the string unit.

Road photovoltaic power generation is a technology that combines photovoltaic power generation while maintaining the function of the existing road by installing special photovoltaic modules on it. In this paper, we developed three types of modules and structures suitable for sidewalk blocks and element technology for the development of a solar road module for a sidewalk and bicycle road. The road solar potential in Korea is 10 GW. After analyzing the daily data obtained after the construction of a 10 kW solar road testbed, it was found that its utilization rate compared to the general photovoltaic energy is 80%.

A shingled PV module is manufactured by dividing and bonding. In this method, the solar cell is divided by lasers and bonded using electrically conductive adhesives (ECAs). Consequently, the manufacturing cost increases because a process step is added. Therefore, we aim to reduce the production cost by reducing the amount of Ag paste used in the solar cell front. Various electrode structures were designed and simulated. The number of fingers was optimized by designing thinner fingers, and the number of fingers with the maximum power conversion efficiency was confirmed. The simulation confirmed the maximum efficiency in the 4-divided electrode pattern. The amount of Ag paste used for each electrode pattern was calculated and analyzed. The number of fingers was optimized by decreasing the width of the finger; this will not only reduce the amount of Ag paste required but also the increase the efficiency.

Advances in laser technology have enabled ultra-high-speed ultra-precise processing, thus expanding potential applications to the semiconductor, medical, and photovoltaic industries. In particular, laser scribing technology has been applied to the production of shingled solar modules. In this work, we analyze the effect of laser scribing conditions, e.g., scribing depth, on the characteristics of the resulting divided solar cells. When the scribing depth was greater than 100 ㎛, the solar cells were well separated. In addition, the desired scribing depths were reached in fewer scans when the laser spot overlap was 100%. The efficiency of the divided cells decreased due to the high series resistance at scribing depths of less than 100 ㎛. However, at scribing depths of approximately 100 ㎛, the series resistance was low and efficiency reduction was minimized.

The shingled photovoltaic module can be produced by joining divided solar cells into a string of busbarless structure and arranging them in series and parallel to produce a module, in order to produce a high output per unit area. This paper reports a study to optimize solar cell electrode structure for shingled photovoltaic module fabrication. The characteristics of each electrode structure were analyzed according to the simulation program as follow: 80.62% fill factor in the six-junction solar cell electrode structure and 19.23% efficiency in the five-junction electrode structure. Therefore, the split electrode structure optimized for high-density and high-output shingled module fabrication is the five-junction solar cell electrode structure.

In this work, we conducted a study on cell strings of high efficiency and high power solar cell modules via simulation. In contrast to the conventional module manufacturing method, the simulation was performed by connecting cutting cells divided into four parts from 6-in size using the electrically conductive adhesive (ECA). The resistance of the ECA added in series connection was extracted using an experimental method. This resistance was found to be 3 mΩ. Based on this simulation, we verified the change in efficiency of the string as a function of the number of cutting cell connections. Consequently, the cutting cell efficiency of the first 20.08% was significantly increased to 20.63% until the fifth connection; however, for further connections, it was confirmed that the efficiency was saturated to 20.8%. Connecting cutting cells using ECA improves the efficiency of the string; therefore, it is expected that it will be possible to fabricate modules with high efficiency and high power.

We researched about a bulk metallic glass system as an additive to an Ag paste for high temperature thermoelectric modules. Bulk metallic glass (BMG) ribbons were produced by using a rapid solidification process (RSP) under a cooling rate condition higher than 10℃/sec. We investigated BMG characteristics of the ribbons by means of x-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in order to evaluate the glass transition temperature (Tg) and the recrystallization temperature (Tx) lower than 400℃. A milling process was also developed to apply the BMG ribbons to a commercial Al paste as an additive for lower sintering temperature.

In this paper, the effects of environmental variables on the output of the floating photovoltaic water systems, which were installed at the Hapcheon dam in South Korea, were investigated, and the correlations between them were analyzed. The system output was linearly proportional to the solar radiation or irradiance. The output was large in spring and autumn because of high irradiance, but low in the summer when the solar module temperature was high. The influence of the module temperature on the system output was limited in the summer, during which the module temperature change affected the system output more than the change of the irradiance did. In addition, in winter and summer, the module temperature tended to decrease with increasing windspeed, but windspeed did not affect module temperature significantly in the spring and autumn. On the other hand, in winter and spring, the irradiance decreased as the windspeed increased because of movement (or circulation) of the photovoltaic modules.

We fabricated 1-D and 2-D diffraction gratings of SiOx anti-reflection (AR) film grown on a quartz substrate and integrated them into a c-Si photovoltaic (PV) submodule. The light-trapping effect of the resulting submodules was studied in terms of the oblique optical incident angle, θ_i. As the θ_i increased, solar conversion efficiency, η, was improved as expected by the increased optical transmission caused by the grating. For θ_i≤30°, the relative solar conversion efficiency, Δη, of a 1-D SiOx (t=300 nm) grating, compared to that of a flat SiOx AR-coated integrated PV submodule, was improved very little, with a small variation of within 2%, but increased markedly for θ_i≥40°. We observed a change of Δη as large as 10.7% and 9.5% for the SiOx grating of period t=800 nm and 1200 nm, respectively. For a 2-D SiOx (t=300 nm) grating integrated PV submodule, however, the optical trapping behavior was similar in terms of θ_i but its variation was small, within ±1.0%.