Performance Assessment of Four Grid-Connected Solar Photovoltaic Technologies under Similar Environmental Conditions in Nigeria

Abstract

This research presents the performance of four grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) systems installed at the Adamawa State College of Health Technology, Mubi, Adamawa, Nigeria. The system consists of 3.5 kWp each of four different PV technologies. The mis and psi cells manufactured by China Sunergy and Conergy comprised 14 modules with a power capacity of 250 watts. The asi produced by Moser Baer consists of 10 modules, each having 350 watts, and the CIS manufactured by Solar Frontier has 20 modules, each having 175 watts. The PV was observed and recorded data from January 2022 to December 2022. The system performance was analyzed using eleven evaluation criteria. Based on the technical assessment of the systems for this location, the asi solar PV has the best annual performance. It demonstrated the most favorable performance ratio (PR) and capacity factor (CF) of 90.7% and 27.6%, respectively, when considering energy output, system yields, performance ratio, and capacity ratio. On the other hand, the msi system, manufactured by China Sunergy, exhibited significant efficiencies at both the panel and system levels, with values of 14.3% and 13.7%, respectively. This system stood out for its minimal overall losses, recorded at 7.78 hours, demonstrating superior efficiency and lower overall losses than the other systems under study. This study is critical because the result will provide valuable information to researchers in identifying the appropriate PV systems suitable for Nigeria. In addition, it will assist PV installers and manufacturers with updated information on the PV system with the best performance.