Generation and application of typical meteorological year data for PV system potential assessment: A case study in China

Abstract

The potential assessment of photovoltaic(PV) systems is of great significance for installing and laying out PV. Short-term meteorological data cannot reflect the local climate characteristics, so it is not suitable for the potential assessment of PV. A typical meteorological year(TMY) can reflect a region's climatic characteristics, and therefore, it is appropriate for the potential assessment of PV. Although the generation methods of TMY for building energy consumption simulation are mature, there are still limited studies on TMY for PV. Given this, this study employs a method to generate TMY data suitable for the Chinese region, while redefining the influencing factors and their respective weights. A TMY dataset was built for 90 cities based on 38 years of measured data in China and applied to BAPV potential assessment. The study assesses annual generation, CO2 reduction, levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), and net returns(NR). The results reveal the highest annual electricity generation in the Northwest region, with Shiquanhe, Golmud, and Ejina sites reaching 215.65 MWh, 201.2 MWh, and 197.5 MWh, respectively. Conversely, southern and coastal regions, notably Chongqing, exhibit the lowest generation at 75.75 MWh. BAPV in Class I tariff areas, along with some Class II and III areas, can achieve demand-side parity (DSP) in full on-grid mode. Through operational adjustments, DSP can be implemented in 23 currently ineligible areas. This study provides dataset support for calculating PV system power generation and analyzes PV potential across diverse cities. The results contribute to policy formulation and future solar energy research, facilitating precise calculations for efficient green power planning in pursuit of carbon neutrality.