In-situ performance and degradation of three different photovoltaic module technologies installed in arid climate of Morocco

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a first-time study on the long-term performance, degradation and cost analysis of three different PV module technologies - monocrystalline silicon (m-Si), polycrystalline silicon (p-Si), and amorphous silicon (a-Si) - installed in the desert climate of Errachidia, Morocco. It mainly aims to determine the most adapted module technology. The performance ratio (PR), degradation rate (Rd) and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) indicators have been determined for each installed PV technology. Results revealed that p-Si technology exhibits the best performance with the highest PR of 82.54 ± 5.84% compared to 82.24 ± 4.77% for m-Si and 81.36 ± 3.79% for a-Si. However, the p-Si technology degrades faster with 0.92 ± 0.11%/year compared to 0.45 ± 0.11%/year for m-Si and 0.72 ± 0.11%/year for a-Si. Thus, the generated energy and the calculated Rd of the investigated technologies are used for the LCOE calculation. Indeed, the lowest LCOE value is noticed for p-Si system with 10.32 c€/kWh compared to 11.15 c€/kWh for m-Si and 13.18 c€/kWh for a-Si.