Prediction of the performance of a solar PV system in Baghdad, Iraq

Abstract

The world is actively seeking alternatives to traditional energy sources amid increasing demand for energy as a result of population growth, the development of technologies, and the environmental pollution caused by traditional energy sources and their tendency to deplete. Renewable energy sources are one of the most promising sources, mainly solar energy, which is the source of most of these sources. The goal of this work is to analyze data collected by the Al-Rashidiya meteorological station to predict the performance of solar PV modules (NT-R0E3E-SHARP) in this geographical area. Depending on the data from the Al-Rashidiya meteorological station, each of the tilted global solar radiation, cell temperature, output power, and electric conversion efficiency was calculated by using the PV model. The results indicated that the annual solar radiation incident in Baghdad with the horizontal plane was 1834kWh/m2/year with an annual peak sun hours (solar fuel) of 5, and the degradation percentage in the electrical conversion efficiency of monocrystalline silicon solar cells ranged between 2% in winter to 11% in summer. From the results of the present work, it can be concluded that Baghdad’s geographical area and surroundings are promising for investing in solar energy to produce electricity.