Performance evaluation of grid-connected silicon-based PV systems integrated into institutional buildings: An experimental and simulation comparative study

Abstract

Renewable energy sources (RES) have been proclaimed to be a sustainable substitute for conventional fossil fuels, which has led several countries to transition to cleaner energy technologies. This transition enables countries to simultaneously support their populations’ escalating electricity demand while alleviating environmental issues. Following a similar trend, Morocco has been putting more emphasis on RES, especially solar energy, in an effort to reduce its dependance on fossil fuels and electricity imports. In this vision, the present study measured, modeled, evaluated, and compared the performance of three silicon-based grid-connected photovoltaic systems under the climatic conditions of El Jadida, Morocco. The photovoltaic panels, which are deployed in institutional buildings, are based on monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, and micromorph tandem technologies. The developed models of the deployed grid-connected photovoltaic systems were validated using experimental data measured over a short-run period (relative error under 5%). Additionally, the performance of the grid-connected photovoltaic systems was evaluated experimentally over a long-run period through several key performance indicators (mainly final yield, performance ratio, and capacity factor). Findings show that under Mediterranean climates, the polycrystalline silicon and monocrystalline silicon grid-connected photovoltaic systems (average final yield, performance ratio, and capacity factor reaching 4.98 kWh/kWp.d, 80.73%, and 20.76%, respectively) outperform the micromorph tandem grid-connected photovoltaic system (4.65 kWh/kWp.d, 75.15%, and 19.38%, respectively).