What is PD IEC TS 62876-2-1-Nano-enabled photovoltaic (NePV) devices about?
The IEC 62876 series covers various aspects of reliability assessment of nanotechnology.
PD IEC TS 62876-2-1 is one of the parts in the series and a Technical Specification, that specifies a general stability testing program to verify the stability of the performance of nanomaterials and nano-enabled photovoltaic (NePV) devices.
Within the scope of PD IEC TS 62876-2-1, NePV refers to photovoltaic devices made from nano-sized material entities, involving a combination of organic and inorganic components and hard and soft matter, sometimes including liquid electrolytes, which are combined using low-cost preparation methods mainly by low-temperature solution processing.
PD IEC TS 62876-2-1 provides a testing program defined in standardized degradation conditions, methodologies, and data assessment for technologies. The results of these tests define stability under standardized degradation conditions for quantitative evaluation of the stability of new technology. The procedures outlined in this document were designed for NePV, but can be extended to serve as a guideline for other photovoltaic technologies as well.
Note: The scope does not include photovoltaic modules, i.e. the final product. It is only intended to test the technology.
Who is PD IEC TS 62876-2-1-NePV devices for?
PD IEC TS 62876-2-1 on nano-enabled photovoltaic devices is useful for:
- NePV device manufacturers
- Nanomaterial components manufacturers for photovoltaic applications
- PV modules manufacturers
- PV power system manufacturers
- Entities involved with solar energy engineering
Why should you use PD IEC TS 62876-2-1-Nano-enabled photovoltaic devices?
NePV is a novel format of photovoltaic technology that can be manufactured in large-area, flexible, thin sheets through solution processing or vapour deposition. Given its attractive properties, NePV is attracting more attention from a variety of groups with a view to improving the efficiency and stability, which has resulted in significant efficiency gains through achievements in materials engineering and process optimization. Concerning stability, however, improvements have not been evident and have not been demonstrated, since standardized testing methods do not exist. In order to commercialize NePV, its stability must be addressed and means for properly comparing stability need to be developed.
The general procedure for the recommended stability testing procedure in PD IEC TS 62876-2-1 is to measure device performances before and at certain intervals after applying well defined stresses to NePV devices, in order to track the performance changes due to the applied stresses.
The objectives of PD IEC TS 62876-2-1 are to specify the requirements for a general stability assessment standard (SAS) for NePV intended to be used in but not limited to outdoor environments; give direction to developers and engineers developing NePV devices, to guide test laboratories on testing, and to allow for a quantitative stability comparison between different technologies.
PD IEC TS 62876-2-1 simply provides a set of tests for stability assessment and establishes the minimum reporting requirements in order to guide the community through a process of technology improvement by achieving comparable measurements and allowing improvement in device stability to be measured in a qualified and comparable methodology.