Abstract
The performance of panels for PV system design is determined according to the performance values in standard test conditions specified in the panel catalog, without knowing the performance under actual operating conditions. However, the operating performance of the PV panel depends on meteorological characteristics of place where the PV system is installed. Especially, if outside temperature values are above test conditions, the efficiency of the PV panel decreases and generation losses are observed. In this study, performance parameters of photovoltaic panel were calculated for four different PV panel technologies only by using their catalogue values like NOCT temperature, power-temperature coefficient etc. For this purpose, real working conditions were simulated using 3-year climate data for the meteorological conditions of Sanliurfa, Turkey. In the end, PV panel efficiency, electricity generation values and performance ratios were calculated in accordance with the temperature. According to the results obtained, the PV panels’ performance ratios decreased up to 0.75 during the summer months. The highest unit energy generation was achieved with thin film PV technology.
Highlights
The most important component of photovoltaic (PV) systems is PV panels that generate electricity directly from the sun
The PV panels produced by different manufacturers can be compared in accordance with panel test efficiencies measured according to the standard test conditions (STC)
The results showed that decreased temperature provided by a cooling system and the use of the hot water so generated increases the efficiency of the panels by 30% compared to the system without cooling arrangements [8]
Summary
The most important component of photovoltaic (PV) systems is PV panels that generate electricity directly from the sun. Electricity generation from PV panels depends on panel material, solar radiation and other atmospheric variables such as surface air temperature and surface wind velocity that affect panel efficiency [1, 2, 3]. The most important parameter that affects the choice of PV panels is PV panel efficiency This shows the rate at which solar energy on the PV panel surface turns into electrical energy. STC, defined as solar radiation 1000 W/ m2, surface temperature 25°C and air mass (A.M.) 1.5, are considered to be ideal conditions, they do not represent the actual field conditions in which the PV panel will operate [4]. NOCT conditions are defined as solar radiation 800 W/m2, surface temperature 20°C, wind speed 1 m/s and air mass 1.5. When a module is operating in NOCT, “standard operating conditions” (SOC) are used [3]
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