Instituto de energía solar

This research line is focused on both, the reduction of the levelized cost of photovoltaic electricity (LCoE) and on assuring the reliability of PV plants. Both objectives are connected and, therefore, the development of methods for the characterization and quality control of PV modules and PV plants, in lab and on site; the analysis of the ageing phenomena; the development of technical specifications and quality control procedures, including hot spots, PID, etc; and the accurate measurement of the operating conditions, contribute to increase the performance ratio for a longer lifetime, that is to say, to reduce the LCoE. 

Furthermore our research also includes the reduction of the uncertainty in our procedures for the estimation of the PV plant productivity and in the quality tests, as this reduction is a key aspect for the financing and the bankability of these systems.

Our line of advanced methods for the automatic detection of performance failures during the operation of the PV plants also contributes to this objective.

And finally, the new market of PV irrigation, with systems more and more powerful, has led us to include also these systems, with their own peculiarities, in the mentioned research lines.