Publications by Alessandro Francesco Aldo Virtuani

Correlating long-term performance and aging behaviour of building integrated PV modules

Christophe Ballif, Alessandro Francesco Aldo Virtuani, Ebrar Özkalay

Because building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) modules are fully integrated into a building envelope, the back of the module can be exposed to little or no ventilation, resulting in increased operating temperatures. As the temperature increases, the perfo ...

Elsevier Science Sa2024

Development of Pid-resistant Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Christophe Ballif, Alessandro Francesco Aldo Virtuani, Olatz Arriaga Arruti

In this abstract, we focus on reinforcing silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells against degradation mechanisms induced by moisture and high-negative voltages. In order to verify that, the solar cells are encapsulated in a glass/backsheet (G/BS) module s ...

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers2024

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

Christophe Ballif, Alessandro Francesco Aldo Virtuani, Hugo James André Quest

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 ...

Wiley2024

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

Christophe Ballif, Alessandro Francesco Aldo Virtuani, Ebrar Özkalay

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 ...

Edp Sciences S A2024

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

Christophe Ballif, Alessandro Francesco Aldo Virtuani, Luca Gnocchi, Olatz Arriaga Arruti

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 ...

Cell Press2024

The carbon intensity of integrated photovoltaics

Christophe Ballif, Alessandro Francesco Aldo Virtuani, Nicolas Würsch, Alejandro Borja Block

To assess the meaningfulness of installing solar photovoltaics in buildings and infrastructures, we consider a carbon intensity (CI) balance perspective and assess whether installing PV at different orientations acts as a net CO2 sink or source, when compa ...

2023

Stability of black interconnect coatings for solar photovoltaic module applications

Christophe Ballif, Antonin Faes, Alessandro Francesco Aldo Virtuani, Martin Ledinsky, Alejandro Borja Block

Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are dual purpose, providing both energy and building functions. Aesthetics play a crucial role in the BIPV market, with increasing demand for uniformly colored modules for building skins. Achieving this requires hid ...

2023

Long-term performance and reliability of silicon heterojunction solar modules

Christophe Ballif, Alessandro Francesco Aldo Virtuani, Olatz Arriaga Arruti

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, ...

2023

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

Christophe Ballif, Alessandro Francesco Aldo Virtuani, Eleonora Annigoni, Luca Gnocchi, Andrew Wayne Fairbrother

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 ...

ELSEVIER2023

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

Christophe Ballif, Quentin Thomas Jeangros, Alessandro Francesco Aldo Virtuani, Olatz Arriaga Arruti, Luca Gnocchi

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 ...

Wiley2023