Yves Poissant

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Research Manager - Renewable Energy Integration Program at Natural Resources Canada

For northern communities relying on solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to offset the cost of imported diesel fuel, there is an acute need to forecast energy losses due to snow. Two leading snow loss models, developed by Marion et al. and Townsend and Powers, are used widely in the PV industry. In order to test these models, this study compares modeled...

Conventionally, utilities required distributed energy resources (DERs) to operate at unity power factor (PF). Although this approach helped utilities predict DER behaviours, it limited the DERs' potential to provide other grid-support functions. Recent standards, such as IEEE Std 1547 and CSA Std C22.3 No. 9, require DERs to be able to provide grid...

In photovoltaic power ratings, a single solar spectrum, AM1.5, is the de facto standard for record laboratory efficiencies, commercial module specifications, and performance ratios of solar power plants. More detailed energy analysis that accounts for local spectral irradiance, along with temperature and broadband irradiance, reduces forecast error...

Photovoltaic module performance data during field operation are essential to understanding the causes of degradation or failure. In this work, performance metrics were analyzed for 357 modules in a rooftop array operating for 23 years in Varennes, Quebec. Modules were studied by visual inspection, solar simulator I-V curves, and Auger Electron Spec...

Most Canadian remote communities are supplied electricity partly or wholly generated by diesel generators, which results in high electricity costs mostly due to the cost of transporting fuel to the remote locations. A large portion of the financial budget from the government or local community is allocated to cover the cost of diesel electricity ge...

The characterisation of solar resource variability is important to understanding the impacts of PV grid-integration. A total of 41 monitoring units were distributed at two sites in Eastern Canada, collecting irradiance data with a recording period of 10 ms. The solar variability was quantified using the Variability Index and distribution using the...

The main objective of the research project is to optimally design and operate remote microgrids and efficiently control and manage their loads and generation mix. This will help to increase utility acceptance, awareness and adoption of improved and cost effective techniques for optimally operating remote microgrids while lowering the risks associat...

The Sugeno-type fuzzy logic inference method and the PVSAT-2 method were used to develop models of a photovoltaic system. The models use solar irradiance in the array plane and back-ofmodule temperature in order to predict alternating current (AC) power production. Measured data from a photovoltaic (PV) system in Quebec, Canada was used to train an...

Recent technological advancements have made CCD spectrometers an increasingly suitable alternative to traditional monochromator-based instrumentation. The authors have developed instrumentation for the near instantaneous measurement of spectral global, direct, diffuse, reflected and southward-tilted irradiances. The system uses an AvaSpec2048TEC-2...

This report summarizes the uncertainties associated with the prediction of long-term photovoltaic (PV) yield. The report addresses mainly uncertainties facing large-scale PV developers, although some of the conclusions may also be applicable to small systems. The uncertainties facing developers include factors such as expected yield, government po...

Building integrated photovoltaic-thermal systems (BIPV/T) that pre-heat ambient air may be used in combination with ventilated concrete slabs for thermal storage purposes. This is one of many feasible ways to maximize solar energy utilization. This paper describes the design and simulation of a solar house with an innovative BIPV/T system and venti...

New PV module technologies have recently entered the Canadian market. As the energy output of these technologies is largely determined by the local climatic conditions where they are installed, it becomes important to obtain information on their actual field performance. To this end, four different novel PV module technologies (back-contact crystal...

Spatial models of global insolation and photovoltaic electricity generation potential for Canada were developed. The main objective was to provide Canadians with an easily accessible, reliable tool for rapidly estimating the monthly and yearly electricity production potential of grid-connected photovoltaic systems anywhere in the country, and for a...

This document reports, in the first part, on the possibility to use solar irradiation calculated from satellite images for performance predictions. In the second part, different system performance evaluation models are described. The use of calculated irradiations as an input to a simple parametric model is compared with measurements from systems e...

The aim of this work is to compare two types of energy rating methodologies in terms of their accuracy and their usefulness for guiding module selection for a given location. The IEC 61853 methodology currently under development was compared to the simpler ESTI-ER methodology proposed by the European Union Joint Research Center (JRC). Four PV modul...

This paper presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study of a building-integrated photovoltaic thermal (BIPV/T) system, which generates both electricity and thermal energy. The heat transfer in the BIPV/T system cavity is studied with a two-dimensional CFD model. The realizable k-epsilon model is used to simulate the turbulent flow and convec...

This paper is focused on a discussion of the requirements and specifications for the development of a design tool that can be used for solar-optimized building design. The tool will initially be focused on single family houses and later on small commercial buildings. The solar optimization process refers to optimization of form so as to (i) capture...

We describe the development of new, Web-based maps of insolation and photovoltaic energy potential across Canada. The maps will be made available on the Natural Resources Canada website. They are presented for each month and summed for the entire year, for five different surface orientations: a sun- tracking orientation and four fixed South-facing...

The results of an experimental and simulation study of a double facade with integrated photovoltaic panels are presented and analyzed. The system consists of a double facade with integrated photovoltaic panels at the bottom part. Air enters from the bottom through an intake, gets heated as it flows upwards in the cavity, driven by a fan and buoyanc...

This paper presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study of a building-integrated photovoltaic thermal (BIPV/T) system, which generates both electricity and thermal energy. The conjugate heat transfer in the BIPV/T system cavity is studied with a 2-D CFD model. The k-ε model is used to simulate the turbulent flow and convective heat transfer...

The results of an experimental study and a simulation model for a double skin façade with integrated photovoltaic panels are presented and analyzed. The system consists of a double-glazed window façade with integrated photovoltaic panels at the half (bottom) part and placed near the middle of the cavity. Air enters from the bottom part through an i...

A 3.2 kWp grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system was installed on the façade of the Nunavut Arctic College, Nunatta Campus in Iqaluit, Nunavut (63.4 °N) in 1995. The project has two main objectives: to gain experience in the construction, monitoring and maintenance of a northern grid- connected PV system, and to serve as a demonstrator of the use...

Hydrogenated polymorphous silicon (pm-Si:H) is a nanostructured silicon thin film produced by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition under conditions close to powder formation. It has a lower initial and stabilized density of states, and a hole mobility considerably higher than state-of-the-art a-Si:H, which makes this material an interesting ca...

This paper presents simple outdoor and indoor test methods inspired from the draft IEC 61853 standard to evaluate the performance of various module technologies under different climatic conditions. Indoor tests were performed using a large area pulsed solar simulator and a heating/cooling table. Crystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous silicon mo...

Polymorphous silicon–germanium (pm-SiGe:H) thin films with Ge contents varying from 1 to 35% were fabricated by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition in a high pressure range (1350 mtorr) and under high hydrogen dilution. The electrical and optical properties of these films were studied using a set of complementary techniques. These materials...

The use of phosphorous-doped microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) as the n-type electrode in single junction hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells has been studied both experimentally and through computer modeling. The aim is to understand why, in spite of a considerable decrease in the activation energy of the n layer—from 0.2 eV in n-a-Si:H to...

Optimization of polymorphous silicon solar cells is carried out through a combination of experiments and modelling of the device characteristics. The improved transport properties of polymorphous silicon films show up in the higher stability of the cells, while the more reactive plasma conditions used in pm-Si:H deposition as compared to a-Si:H res...

Transport properties of microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) films prepared by hot-wire/catalytic chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) have been investigated by steady-state photocarrier grating (SSPG) and conductivity measurements. Improved diffusion length has been obtained when the hydrogen dilution approaches the value corresponding to the amorphous...

Powder formation in silane plasmas has been considered as a technology drawback because it might lead to the formation of macroscopic defects in the deposited layers. Here we summarize our recent efforts in controlling the formation of powder precursors, in particular, nanocrystalline silicon particles, aiming at their incorporation in the films. I...

Polymorphous silicon is a nanostructured thin film consisting of a small fraction of nanocrystalline silicon particles and/or clusters embedded in a relaxed amorphous matrix. This heterogeneous material is produced under plasma conditions close to powder formation. The hydrogen bonding in this material was probed by infrared absorption and hydrogen...

Powder formation in silane plasmas has been considered as a technology drawback because it might lead to the formation of macroscopic defects in the deposited layers. Here we summarize our recent efforts in controlling the formation of powder precursors, in par- ticular, nanocrystalline silicon particles, aiming at their incorporation in the films....

Silicon–hydrogen bonding configurations, during or after microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) film deposition by catalytic CVD, have been investigated for the first time by real-time in-situ Fourier transform phase modulated infrared ellipsometry (FTPME). FTPME measurements have been performed during and after μc-Si:H film depositions using high, low...

Phosphorous and boron doped a-Si:H layers have been optimized with respect to their stability when used in single junction p–i–n solar cells. Hydrogen effusion measurements show a structural change for both types of films at doping concentrations above 0.2±0.1%. While at this doping level the conductivity of the layers is not the largest possible,...

Transport properties of hydrogenated polymorphous silicon layers (pm-Si:H) deposited at 150°C under various pressures in the range 80-293 Pa in sandwich (Schottky and p-i-n diodes) and coplanar structures have been compared to those of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) samples deposited at the same temperature in standard conditions. The laye...

A comparative study has been made of the use of a noncontact probe method and the dual TEM cell method for the measurement of the surface impedance of composite materials. The results show that the values of surface impedance obtained by the two methods are in substantial agreement when the samples are pseudo-isotropic. Very different results are o...

The electricity generation potential of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) in Canada is evaluated on a countrywide basis and for each of the provinces, as well as for a few municipalities featuring as case studies. The main goal of this project is to determine the potential of photovoltaics in Canada. The methodology used was agreed upon by t...

The restructuring of electricity markets around the world presents unique opportunities to increase the economic value of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Because peak PV production often correlates closely with peak system loads and peak system power prices, solar electricity can come to be viewed as particularly valuable within demand-side-manage...

Work is presently underway to develop an international standard for module energy rating that takes into account the impact of different environmental conditions on the energy performance of PV modules. This paper presents simple outdoor and indoor test methods inspired from the draft IEC 61853 standard to evaluate the performance of various module...

This paper describes a new one-diode equivalent photovoltaic (PV) model that has been implemented into the ESP-r simulation program. The validation of this model, as well as that of ESP-r's existing one-diode model, is also treated. Specifically, the PV arrays installed at a laboratory facility at CETC-Varennes are modelled using both models and th...

A 3.2 kWp grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system was installed on the façade of the Nunavut Arctic College, Nunatta Campus in Iqaluit, Nunavut (63.4 °N) in 1995. The project has two main objectives: to gain experience in the construction, monitoring and maintenance of a northern grid-connected PV system, and to serve as a demonstrator of the use o...