Performance Analysis and Comparison of Different Photovoltaic Modules Technologies under Different Climatic Conditions in Casablanca

Abstract

The main goal of this work is to study the performance of silicon-based photovoltaic modules of different technologies (Monocrystalline (c-si), Polycrystalline (p-si) and Amorphous (a-si)) installed on rooftop of the Ben m’sik faculty at Hassan II university, Casablanca, Morocco (Latitude 33°36”N, Longitude 7°36”W). This study is based on daily measurements under various climatic conditions (clear, cloudy and rainy). In order to improve the performance evaluation, the real-time measurements were taken for every five minutes of different climatic parameters (solar irradiation, ambient temperature, module temperature, wind speed and direction) and electrical parameters (power, current and voltage). In fact, we studied the PV array efficiency, the inverter efficiency and the system efficiency. In addition, we performed an evaluation to the PV array, reference and final yields and the performance ratio (PR). The results show maximum values for module efficiency, final efficiency and system efficiency on a clear day for all three technologies due to high irradiation. The maximum values of PR are 72.10%, 91.53% and 86.20%, are obtained on a cloudy day, this is due to the low temperature and the high wind speed. Minimum values of PR, module efficiency, reference efficiency and final efficiency on a rainy day are due to the low sun exposure and the rain which affect the generated energy and stability of PV systems.