Whatever your need, goal, or application

by Dmytro Podolskyy, Business Development Manager, EKO EU

Bi-facial PV installations are no longer an expensive add-on, an aspirational target, or a ‘nice to have’. The economic case for bifacial technology has rapidly improved in recent years, for large PV plant projects in particular, and far from being a trend, bifacial is here to stay.

Indeed, even traditional mono-facial panels can profit from using reflected light to produce additional gains, proving the fundamental value of on-site irradiance measurement, whatever your set-up.

However, reflected light is much harder to model and predict than Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) and Plane of Array (POA) irradiance. The spectral properties of reflected light are different, and for anyone serious about albedo, those properties require concerted research and operational measurement. Understanding albedo, optimising the surroundings and reflective surfaces can, for instance, lead to high-impact, low-cost improvements to overall output and efficiency.

That’s why more and more albedometers are appearing in PV fields around the world. Pyranometers that measure reflected irradiance can be installed at the rear of a PV module in a host of different locations, all helping to ensure a good representation of reflected irradiance. x2 pyranometers...

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To Space, Back Again, And Beyond

by Will Beutell, Application Engineer, EKO USA

While the first solar cell created in 1954 used an 'N-Type' (negatively charged) silicon wafer, PV crystalline silicon modules using 'P-Type' (positively charged) cells soon dominated. 'P-Type' cells were almost exclusively researched and used during the space race. With so much money spent on space-related solar technology and one-upmanship, 'P-Type' cells improved quickly. It wasn't long before these advances trickled down to commercial and residential applications. Since then, over many years, 'P-Type' cells have come to lead the market, yielding more power, with lower manufacturing costs, than the original 'N-Type'. However, common 'P-Type' modules generally lack rear-side passivation, limiting their potential performance.

More recently, 'Passively Emitted Rear-side Contact' (PERC) module research, in tandem with progress in 'N-Type' cell development, sparked a surge of interest in bifacial photovoltaics (BPV). In 2016, manufacturing processes for both PERC and 'N-Type' cells finally became economical, opening the doors for BPV technology to be produced and deployed in earnest.

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NEWS:

The EKO EMPOWER | Future Online Education Programme is a joint project with the Kogakuin University Solar Team, one of the solar car teams sponsored by EKO Instruments as part of the EMPOWER programme.

EMPOWER | Future is designed for students aged 12~17, and those at University, and will feature EKO engineers delivering online courses across a range of renewable energy topics, helping to support the next generation of scientists, students and engineers to achieve their goals, advance their ideas, and build a better, more sustainable, future.

Read the official press release (Japanese) @ https://www.kogakuin.ac.jp/news/2021/060291.html

EKO China Distributor' Keytec' Awarded 'Top 10 Highlight' Status at SNEC International Conference & Exhibition

by  Caris Chan, Market Director, EKO China

Beijing Keytec Technology Co., Ltd, the only officially approved EKO Instruments distributor in China, was selected as one of the 'Top 10 Highlights' at the SNEC International Solar Photovoltaic and Smart Energy Conference and Exhibition in Shanghai, held on June 3-5, 2021.

The SNEC organising committee selected the 'Top 10' awardees from a shortlist of exhibitors whose products or solutions offer a significant 'advance' over existing technology, are new or original, or contribute positively to society. The award itself aims to encourage research and celebrate technological innovation in the photovoltaic industry.

Keytec was chosen as an event 'highlight' based on a new variation of the MS-90 Plus+ Trackerless Solar Monitoring Station, the MS-90R, developed exclusively for the Chinese market.

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Aerosol and Precipitable water vapor retrievals with the MS-711 Spectroradiometer

by  Dr. Mario Po, Research Scientist, EKO EU

The continuous measurement of the direct normal, diffuse horizontal, and global horizontal components of spectral irradiance is key to many environmental science and solar energy applications. Likewise, spectral irradiance is modified by changing concentrations of atmospheric trace gases and aerosols, creating a need for continuous monitoring. Adding methods for atmospheric parameter retrievals based on spectral irradiance data sets will present added value to the atmospheric, environmental science, and solar energy, research communities.

In recent studies, researchers at the Izaña Atmospheric Research Center (IARC), part of the Agencia Estatal de Meteorologia (AEMET), have explored this potential with EKO spectroradiometers, developing a methodology to quantify atmospheric parameters based on ground-based solar spectral measurements.

The EKO MS-711 grating spectroradiometer was installed at the facility, on an EKO STR-22G Sun tracker with collimation. The setup allowed researchers to measure direct normal spectral irradiance within the 300 and 1100 nm wavelength range with a 0.4nm step and <7nm Full width half maximum (FWHM).

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PRESS RELEASE:

The award was presented by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Mr Koichi Hagiuda, at a ceremony in Tokyo on 14/04/2021.

EKO Instruments Co., Ltd (Tokyo, Japan) President Toshikazu Hasegawa was presented with a Science & Technology Award by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Mr Koichi Hagiuda, at a ceremony in Tokyo on 14/04/2021.

EKO Instruments was selected to receive the award, by Minister Hagiuda, based on the development of the innovative MS-80 pyranometer.

Launched in 2016, the MS-80 was a revolution in pyranometer design and accuracy. Together with its successor, the MS-80S, the MS-80 remains an industry-leading sensor and one of the fastest 'spectrally flat' ISO 9060:2018 Class A pyranometers available today.

During the traditional Japanese award ceremony, Minister Hagiuda announced that "this achievement recognises an outstanding contribution to the promotion and development of science and technology in Japan".

After the ceremony, President Hasegawa said, "I am pleased to accept this award on behalf of the EKO engineers who worked so hard to create a new generation of pyranometers, a design that still has no real rival". Though "the MS-80 has since proven itself around the world as the most accurate, and reliable, fast response pyranometer", he explained, "we must continue to listen to the needs of our customers and maintain our lead in accuracy, and quality".

Find out more about the MS-80, and MS-80S, Class A Pyranometers at eko-eu.com, or contact marketing@eko-instruments.com for more information.