| Born: 1944, U.K. |
Academic Qualifications:Ph.D 1969, Univ. of Illinois
Prof. 1995.
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Academic Positions:
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Research Interests:
Solar Radiation, Solar Energy, Solar Electric Power, Solar Energy Conversion Systems, Solar Energy Devices, Solar Energy Materials, Photovoltaic Conversion, Concentrator Photovoltaics, Energy Storage, Grid Interfacing, Solar-Thermal Conversion. |
Research Projects:
Negev Solar Radiation Survey, Solar Spectral Studies, Photovoltaic Module Studies, Concentrator Photovoltaics, Various Uses of a Large Parabolic Dish, Fullerene PV Cells, DC->AC Converters, Battery Storage. |
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Abstracts of Current Research:- Assessing the Outdoor Operating Temperature of Photovoltaic Modules: By a careful study of data collected from 7 varieties of photovoltaic module it is demonstrated that a simple modified form of the Hottel-Whillier-Bliss (HWB) equation, familiar from the analysis of flat-plate solar-thermal collectors, can be employed to predict PV module temperatures within an accuracy comparable to the cell-to-cell temperature differences typically encountered within a module. Furthermore, for modules within the range of construction parameters employed in this study, the actual values of the two modified HWB constants do not appear to depend upon module type. The implication of these results for the accuracy of outdoor module characterization is discussed.
- Development, Characterisation and 1000 Suns Outdoor Tests of GaAs Monolithic Interconnected Module (MIM) Receivers: Monolithic Interconnected Modules (MIMs) are large area, high voltage PV devices which perform well at very high light intensities. They are therefore well suited for the assembly of dense array receivers. The latter can be employed in solar concentrator systems such as parabolic dishes at a light intensity increased by a factor of 1000 and more.
This article reports on progress in the development and testing of GaAs MIMs and of water-cooled dense array receivers assembled from MIMs. The MIMs are electrically protected by integrated bypass diodes and, under indoor laboratory tests, reach an efficiency of 20.0 % at 1000 suns and 22.9 % at 200 suns.
Several dense array receivers have been assembled, one of which was tested outdoors at 1-sun and at concentration ratios of several hundred suns and up to slightly above 1000 suns using the PETAL solar dish facility in Sede Boqer, Israel. In addition to I-V curve measurements, the high-concentration tests included measurements that quantified the light intensity distribution over the dense array. Deformations in some of the I-V plots were observed, for intensity distributions that departed substantially from perfect uniformity. The shapes of these plots were successfully reproduced by an electronic network simulation of the inhomogeneously illuminated receiver.
1-sun I-V curve measurements and visual inspections performed before and after exposure of the module to concentrated sunlight revealed no indications of degradation.
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Publications:- David Faiman. Assessing the Outdoor Operating Temperature of Photovoltaic Modules Progress in Photovoltaics DOI: 10.1002/pip.813: (2008)
- D. Faiman, D. Raviv, R. Rosenstreich. Using solar energy to arrest the increasing rate of fossil-fuel consumption: The southwestern states of the USA as case studies Energy Policy 35: 567-576 (2007)
- R. Loeckenhoff, F. Dimroth, E. Oliva, A. Ohm, J. Wilde, David Faiman, Sergey Biryukov, Vladimir Melnichak, Shlomo Kabalo, Dov Bokobza and A.W. Bett. Development, Characterisation and 1000 Suns Outdoor Tests of GaAs Monolithic Interconnected Module (MIM) Receivers Progress in Photovoltaics DOI: 10.1002/pip.778: (2007)
- D. Faiman, D. Raviv, R. Rosenstreich. The Middle East region: A top-down approach for introducing VLS-PV plants Energy from the Desert 2: 26-53 (2007)
- Faiman, D., Feuermann, D., Ibbetson, P., Medwed, B., Zemel, A., Ianetz, A., Liubansky, V., Setter, I. & Suraqui, S.. The Negev Radiation Survey. Journal of Solar Energy Engineering. 126, Special Issue, Israel: 906-914. (2004)
- Faiman, D.. Concentrator Photovoltaics: an intriguing pathway to solar electric power plants at $1/W. Journal of Arid Land Studies. 14S: 155-158 (2004)
- David Faiman. Arid Environments, Impacts of Energy Development in Encyclopedia of Energy 1: 109-115 (2004)
- David Faiman. Organic solar cells for large-scale, fossil-competitive, power production: Science fiction? - Perhaps, No! Organic Photovoltaics V 5520: 1-8 (2004)
- Faiman, D., Berman, D., de Held, E & Oldenkamp, H.. Study of AC-module inverters under extreme desert conditions. Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells. 75: 629-635 (2003)
- Faiman, D.. Case studies for the Middle East, including sun-tracking non-concentrator, and concentrator photovoltaics. Energy from the Desert: Feasibility of VLS-PV Systems. 0: 135-150 (2003)
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| Keywords:Solar Energy, Photovoltaics, Light Concentration, Spectral studies. |
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Phones:
- Phone: 972-8-6596933
- Phone: 972-8-6554174
- Fax: 972-8-6596736
- Mobile: 972-054-4642069
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