A system and method for statistical analysis of PV photovoltaic panel images for quantifying the percentage of reduction of electricity generation or the percentage of electricity generation of PV photovoltaic panels due to the soiling level of PV photovoltaic panels by means of a system for statistical analysis of PV photovoltaic panel images, using a camera capable of photographing the panels in the visible spectrum, a clean and properly functioning PV photovoltaic panel without the presence of soiling, shading, or operational faults, a string of soiled PV photovoltaic panels to be evaluated, a computer and an method for image analysis.

A method includes providing a mandrel having an electrical conduit electroformed in the mandrel. The second side of the electrical conduit is blackened while in the mandrel to create a black layer on the electrical conduit. The mandrel is aligned in a flatness fixture such that the mandrel is substantially flat. The mandrel remains flat and in a fixed relationship to the flatness fixture throughout the method. A beam of a laser is controlled toward the black layer. The beam has laser parameters including a power output, a frequency and a mark speed, and selected by setting the power output and the mark speed then determining the frequency. The beam removes a plurality of the portions of the black layer. Each removed portion of the plurality of the portions has a thickness equal to the black layer thickness, and a portion area of 9 mm.sup.2 to 18 mm.sup.2.

A method includes providing a mandrel having an electrical conduit electroformed in the mandrel. The second side of the electrical conduit is blackened while in the mandrel to create a black layer on the electrical conduit. The mandrel is aligned in a flatness fixture such that the mandrel is substantially flat. The mandrel remains flat and in a fixed relationship to the flatness fixture throughout the method. A beam of a laser is controlled toward the black layer. The beam has laser parameters including a power output, a frequency and a mark speed, and selected by setting the power output and the mark speed then determining the frequency. The beam removes a plurality of the portions of the black layer. Each removed portion of the plurality of the portions has a thickness equal to the black layer thickness, and a portion area of 9 mm.sup.2 to 18 mm.sup.2.

This method for detecting a poor module-mounting-state in a concentrator photovoltaic apparatus includes: photographing a surface of an array by an imaging device; obtaining an image in which a virtual image, magnified through a condenser lens, of a light receiving portion including a cell and a vicinity thereof is formed, and a collection of pixels of the virtual image forms a composite virtual image of an entirety of the light receiving portion, the composite virtual image being projected over a plurality of modules; and detecting a poor module-mounting-state based on a form of the composite virtual image.

This method for detecting a poor module-mounting-state in a concentrator photovoltaic apparatus includes: photographing a surface of an array by an imaging device; obtaining an image in which a virtual image, magnified through a condenser lens, of a light receiving portion including a cell and a vicinity thereof is formed, and a collection of pixels of the virtual image forms a composite virtual image of an entirety of the light receiving portion, the composite virtual image being projected over a plurality of modules; and detecting a poor module-mounting-state based on a form of the composite virtual image.

A method for sorting optoelectronic semiconductor components is specified. The semiconductor components each include an active region for emission or detection of electromagnetic radiation. The method includes the following steps: introducing the semiconductor components into a sorting region on a specified path; irradiating the optoelectronic semiconductor components with electromagnetic radiation of a first wavelength range to generate dipole moments by charge separation in the active regions of the optoelectronic semiconductor components; and deflecting the optoelectronic semiconductor components from the specified path as a function of their dipole moment by means of a non-homogeneous electromagnetic field. A device for sorting optoelectronic semiconductor components is further specified.

Methods and apparatus are presented for measuring a photoluminescence (PL) response, preferably a spatially resolved image of a PL response, from an object exposed to solar irradiation. In certain embodiments signals from the object are measured in two or more different spectral bands selected such that one of the measured signals has a higher PL component relative to ambient reflectance compared to another measured signal, enabling the PL component to be enhanced by a suitable differencing procedure. In other embodiments a signal from an object is measured in a spectral band selected such that at least 20% of the measured signal comprises PL generated from the object by the solar irradiation. The methods and apparatus have particular application to outdoor inspection of photovoltaic modules without having to modulate the operating point of the modules.

Methods and apparatus are presented for measuring a photoluminescence (PL) response, preferably a spatially resolved image of a PL response, from an object exposed to solar irradiation. In certain embodiments signals from the object are measured in two or more different spectral bands selected such that one of the measured signals has a higher PL component relative to ambient reflectance compared to another measured signal, enabling the PL component to be enhanced by a suitable differencing procedure. In other embodiments a signal from an object is measured in a spectral band selected such that at least 20% of the measured signal comprises PL generated from the object by the solar irradiation. The methods and apparatus have particular application to outdoor inspection of photovoltaic modules without having to modulate the operating point of the modules.

The invention relates to a method for inspecting a photovoltaic element (1), preferably in order to determine the output and/or in order to determine defects of the photovoltaic element (1), and to a photovoltaic element (1) which is inspected using such a method.

A method (400) of capturing and processing electroluminescence (EL) images (1910) of a PV array (40) is disclosed herein. In a described embodiment, the method 400 includes controlling the aerial vehicle (20) to fly along a flight path to capture EL images (1910) of corresponding PV array subsections (512b) of the PV array (40), deriving respective image quality parameters from at least some of the captured EL images, dynamically adjusting a flight speed of the aerial vehicle along the flight path, based on the respective image quality parameters for capturing the EL images (1910) of the PV array subsections (512b), extracting a plurality of frames (1500) of the PV array subsection (512b) from the EL images (1910); determining a reference frame having a highest image quality of the PV array subsection (512b) from among the extracted frames (2100); performing image alignment of the extracted frames (2100) to the reference frame to generate image aligned frames (2130), and processing the image aligned frames (2130) to produce an enhanced image (2140) of the PV array subsection (512b) having a higher resolution than the reference frame. A system, image processing device, and aerial vehicle for the method thereof are also disclosed.