Quality Roundtable @ Intersolar Europe 2018

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Quality in procurement, installation and O&M 

pv magazine Quality Roundtable at Intersolar Europe 2018

The 9th pv magazine Quality Roundtable will take place at this year’s Intersolar Europe, on June 21. Combining the most successful concepts from our previous events, the first session will see industry experts and the audience discussing two case studies on poor quality in the field. Focusing on backsheet cracking and compensation after hailstorm damage, the discussion will revolve around how to detect faults; how to manage them; and how to evaluate with whom the responsibility lies.

How can data analysis help asset owners and operators increase their returns on investment? This question will be posed during the second session, which will examine one of the industry’s hottest topics: big data.

A thorn in the side of EPCs and investors in recent years, the issues of potential induced degradation (PID) and light induced degradation (LID) keep raising their heads. We believe they should no longer be relevant; although some are quick to disagree. The second session will, thus, also debate whether or not they really have been solved. Can we finally move on?

Agenda

10:00 11:10 Session 1: Stop the blame game – Known and unknown examples of poor quality in operational installations

Case 1: Faulty backsheet

  • Discussion on the impact of faulty backsheets, and with whom the responsibility lies (in collaboration with Jay Lin, PV Guider)
    Expert input: Latest amendment of IEC 61730 and its impact on back sheet quality assurance (Jörg Althaus, TÜV Rheinland)
    Download the presentation of Jörg Althaus

Case 2: Unregulated damages after a hailstorm

  • Discussion on the impact of damages, which are visible, but which do not lead to an immediate loss of power
  • Expert input: EL image interpretation (Marc Köntges, ISFH, and Mischa Paterna, Suncycle)
  • Expert input: Legal background for the regulation of such issues with insurance

LID of PERC cells (Jay Lin, PV Guider) Download the presentation of Jay Lin

Presentation: pv magazine test: results review and observations (George Touloupas, CEA)

11:10 – 11:30 Break with poster session, among others:

  • PID detection in the field using the dark I-V-curve measurrment (Volker Naumann, Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP)
  • A digital service platform for everybody, automatically updated by the QVSD (QVSD, quality assiciation for solar and rooftop)

11:30 – 13:00 Session 2: Solutions for solar asset optimization

  • From field tests to the more recommended Module Accelerated Sequential Testing concept, and innovation in bifacial module technology (Stephan Padlewski, DuPont)
    Download the presentation of Stephan Padlewski
  • Technological innovation to improve module quality: LID on Mono PERC (Hongbin Fang, Director of Product Marketing LONGi Solar)
  • Big data and advanced solar analytics (Kam Mofid, General Manager, Solar, Envision)
    Download the presentation of Kam Mofid
  • PID: an invisible danger for solar systems and how to prevent it (Andrea Viaro, EU Technical Service Manager, Jinko Solar)
    Download the presentation of Andrea Viaro
  • Analysis and key Quality Roundtable takeaways: from the perspective of major project developers and owners (Michel Picollet, responsible for guidelines, knowledge building and project review before investment committees at Engie/ n.n.)

Invited experts

Dr. Lucie Garreau,
Technical Regional Manager, EMEA
DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions

“Five years ago, DuPont began raising awareness in the PV industry about the paramount importance that materials play in the durability and reliability of solar panels.  As our global field survey statistics mount, we see yet more and more material failures which compel us to reiterate with even more certainty, backed by over 1GW of data, that the right choices should be made to protect solar investments for the long-term.”

Dr. Matthew House
Strategic Account Manager
DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions

Matthew House joined DuPont 9 years ago, holding a variety of positions across R&D, production operations, quality control, marketing and sales. Industries served have included microcircuits, automotive, biomedical and aircraft. Photovoltaics has been a constant theme of his time in DuPont beginning with membership of the development team for the Solamet(R) PV16X range, with connections to all further generations through to the recently launched Solamet(R) PV21X, helping customers drive efficiency enhancements.

 

George Touloupas 
Director of Technology and Quality
CEA

“After accumulating 25 GW of track record in the PV industry performing quality assurance and production monitoring of PV components, CEA is now focusing into lab and field testing of PV modules. In partnership with pv magazine, CEA has developed a test program as a platform to gain insights into novel approaches to benchmark testing for the performance and reliability of modules, with the ultimate goal of helping investors make the right choices.”

 

Carlos Magistris 
Business Development Director and Principal Engineer 
CEA

“As we all know, only in the last 10 years, the photovoltaic sector has undergone drastic changes. In such a short time, we have gone through new materials, technologies and manufacturing processes. All of this, together with a spectacular reduction in prices and an increase in production capacity. Undoubtedly, all these changes have a direct influence on the quality and reliability of the products we use, and we must never forget that a photovoltaic plant should last up to 25 years. In consequence, both product quality and customer service are key tools.

At CEA, our commitment is to help our clients to deploy quality and, with this, help this industry reach levels of excellence.”

 

Andrea Viaro
Head of Technical Service and Product Management
JinkoSolar EU

Andrea Viaro is responsible for the technical activities at JinkoSolar Europe since 2014, lately overseeing also product developments’ launch in the EU market. He has been working in the PV sector for the last nine years in similar roles at other tier-1 module manufacturer and technical consultancy global firm. His deep knowledge of PV technology and industry, in particular regarding PV modules features and quality, makes him a valued expert in this field.

 

 

Hongbin Fang, Ph.D.
Director of Product Marketing
LONGi Solar

Hongbin Fang is Director of Product Marketing at LONGi Solar, a leading dedicated monocrystalline solar cell and module manufacturer. Previously Hongbin Fang has been working in semiconductor and solar industry for more than 18 years.  His past experience at Applied Materials and SunPower has been focusing on semiconductor equipment process development/integration and solar cell manufacturing process.  More recently at SunEdison, he has led the effort on solar wafer, cell and module integration, new technology and new supplier introduction into HVM manufacturing.  He has published 14 scientific papers, and holds 14 US patents.  He earned his BS degree in Materials Science from University of Science and Technology of China and Ph.D. in Chemistry from Columbia University.

 

Eric Ast
Head of Global Business Development Photovoltaics
Stäubli Electrical Connectors AG

 

 

Kam Mofid
General Manager of Solar for Americas and head of Global Solar Center of Excellence
Envision

Expert for advanced data analysis. Together with his team in Silicon Valley he developped a platform solution for asset management which makes use of advanced data analytics.

 

Eszter Voroshazi, Ph.D.
R&D team leader of Pv module activities / EnergyVille
imec

R&D manager at imec, Expert in new cSi and TFPV module materials and technologies and advanced reliability characterization

 

 

Volker Naumann
Team leader and researcher in the group Diagnostics of Solar Cells

Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP

Volker Naumann joined Fraunhofer CSP 8 years ago. In his PhD thesis he investigated the microstructural root cause of potential induced degradation (PID) with shunting of c-Si solar cells. Beyond his expertise in the physical understanding of PID, his particular interest comprises electrical properties of thin films and surfaces of semiconducting and isolating materials.

 

Jörg Althaus
TÜV Rheinland

Jörg Althaus is regional field manager for Germany, India, Middle East and Africa. TÜV Rheinland is one of the best known test labs on the world, active in certification, audits, and in standardication commities.

 

 

Michel Picollet
Senior Solar PV Manager
ENGIE

Michel Piccolet is responsible for guidelines, knowledge building and project review before investment committees.

 


 

Jay Lin
CEO
PVGuider

 

 

Marc Köntges
Head of the Workgroup Module tec
hnologies at Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hamelin (ISFH)

ISFH is one of the very renowned solar research institues in Germany and Marc Koentges is well known expert who investigates EL image classification for years.

 

 

 

Mischa Paterna
CEO
Suncycle

 

 

 

 

Andreas Kleefisch
Baumeister Rechtsanwälte

 

 

 


If you want a preview of what our event will look like, you can check out last year's video !

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