This study presents an outdoor performance comparison of glass-to-glass (G2G) and glass-to-steel (G2S) single-cell mini-modules designed for building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) applications. The modules were installed vertically facing south on a building rooftop in Seoul, South Korea, and their irradiance, operating temperature, electrical parameters, and energy yield were evaluated under summer climate conditions. The G2S modules consistently operated at lower temperatures than the G2G modules due to the enhanced heat dissipation provided by the steel rear structure. As a result, the G2S configuration exhibited a higher open-circuit voltage, while the G2G modules showed higher short-circuit current, primarily due to optical and irradiance-related effects under vertical installation. This trade-off led to a time-dependent performance behavior: the G2G modules produced higher energy yield before 13:00, whereas the G2S modules outperformed the G2G modules during the afternoon under elevated temperature conditions. When integrated over the entire measurement period, the difference in cumulative energy yield between the two configurations was only 0.07%, which falls within the experimental uncertainty and indicates that their overall energy yields are effectively equivalent. These results demonstrate that although G2G and G2S modules deliver similar total energy output, their performance characteristics differ depending on irradiance and temperature conditions. Consequently, glass-to-steel module configurations may offer practical advan͒tages in hot climates or applications where thermal management is critical, highlighting the importance of climate- and time-dependent considerations in BIPV module design.

Respective downsides of silicon, CdTe, CIGS, and perovskite solar cell devices that span various facets including high costs, complex production process, toxicity and scarcity of certain elements, chemical and thermal instability, and hygroscopicity led to search for a novel material that is immune to these drawbacks. Sb₂(S,Se)₃ is gaining traction as an optimal absorber layer due to its abundance, high absorption coefficient, tunable band gap, chemical and thermal stability, and non-toxicity. Interfacial engineering is a critical component of performance enhancement, and the objective of this paper is to introduce recent approaches to back interface engineering involving expansion of hole transport layer choices through inorganic materials as well as insertion of interfacial layers between the back interfaces.

Efficient Operations and Maintenance (O&M) technology is essential for the commercialization of solar power plants. However, repetitive geometries and GNSS-denied environments in solar plants remain critical challenges for real-time and highly accurate point-map generation. Herein, we develop an embedded-based LIO-SAM mapping model for precise solar array inspection on the NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX. We systematically investigate the effects of input density (downsampleRate), feature validation (SurfFeatureMinValidNum), and mapping resolution (LeafSize) on mapping quality and latency. Our observations suggest that the downsampleRate of 10 improves mapping precision by 21.7% while reducing noise-induced standard deviation by 78%. The optimization of SurfFeatureMinValidNum to 500 decreases edge planarity error by 51.6%, ensuring structural fidelity. Furthermore, setting LeafSize to 0.2 reduces processing delay by approximately 27%, identified as the critical saturation point for efficiency. Consequently, our 3-dimensional point-map model achieves a high precision of 99.6% with a 6.2 mm error margin, demonstrating robust real-time mapping capabilities suitable for autonomous drone system.

The expansion of renewable energy increases variability and uncertainty in power systems, serving as a primary driver of curtailment events. Real-Time Markets (RTM) have emerged as a market-based solution to address these challenges, with Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) serving as critical intermediaries for integrating distributed renewable energy resources and maintaining grid stability. Jeju Island, South Korea, with its high renewable energy penetration, provides an ideal testbed for RTM implementation, having launched a pilot program in June 2024. Using logistic regression analysis, the study reveals that demand-side interventions and market mechanism design are statistically significant and independent variables driving curtailment. Demand creation proves more effective than transmission expansion alone, while solar generation emerges as the dominant physical driver. Critically, forecast error and real-time price signals are proven independent determinants, establishing that system optimization requires coordinated attention to both infrastructure and market design reforms. This empirical evidence informs South Korea's nationwide RTM expansion strategy and provides decision-making guidance for market regulators and VPP operators regarding portfolio optimization and real-time market participation strategies.

Three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed on parallel-arranged vertical bifacial PV panel structures to investigate wind pressure distributions and wind load characteristics according to lateral panel position and row arrangement. The outermost panel exhibited a maximum local negative pressure of -1252 Pa on the rear surface. However, the intermediate panel produced the largest total wind load, reaching 10,198 N, approximately 8% higher than that of the outermost panel, due to a wider distribution of rear-surface negative pressure. In contrast, the locally high suction on the outermost panel was confined to a limited area. Wind loads on downstream panels were significantly smaller, ranging from -501 to 414 N based on mean pressure, indicating a negligible influence on structural design. These results confirm the necessity of distinguishing between upstream and downstream rows in wind load evaluation and demonstrate the similarity of mean wind loads within the upstream row.