Abstract
This study presents a comparative analysis of energy production over the year 2015 by the grid connected experimental photovoltaic (PV) system composed by different technology modules, which operates under temperate climate meteorological conditions of Eastern Poland. Two thin film technologies have been taken into account: cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS). Rated power of each system is approximately equal to 3.5 kWp. In addition, the performance of a polycrystalline silicon technology system has been analyzed in order to provide comprehensive comparison of the efficiency of thin film and crystalline technologies in the same environmental conditions. The total size of the pc-Si system is equal to 17 kWp. Adequate sensors have been installed at the location of the PV system to measure solar irradiance and temperature of the modules. In real external conditions all kinds of modules exhibit lower efficiency than the values provided by manufacturers. The study reveals that CIGS technology is characterized by the highest energy production and performance ratio. The observed temperature related losses are of the lowest degree in case of CIGS modules.
Highlights
The European Directive (EU) 2015/1513 amending Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources sets a binding target of 20% final energy consumption in EU from renewable sources by 2020 [1,2]
This paper presents the comparison of traditional polycrystalline silicon PV technology and two thin film technologies: cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS)
The performance of solar modules depends on real external conditions, which is clearly visible in the results presented in this work, based on the measurements collected under temperate climate
Summary
The European Directive (EU) 2015/1513 amending Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources sets a binding target of 20% final energy consumption in EU from renewable sources by 2020 [1,2]. One of the renewable energy systems (RES) is solar energy which can be utilized in photovoltaic (PV) systems that are non-polluting and do not generate greenhouse gases or wastes which have to be stored. This kind of system has no moving parts, so the maintenance cost is very little [3,4]. Producers of PV modules provide characteristic parameters measured under Standard Test. Conditions (STC) which are defined as follows: solar irradiance G = 1000 W/m2 , module temperature. The testing measurements are usually made in laboratories with the use of solar simulators.
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