Abstract
The study discusses the short-term performance variations of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems installed in Kanpur, India. The analysis presents a holistic view of the performance variations of three PV array technologies [multi-crystalline (multi-Si), copper indium gallium diselenide and amorphous silicon] and two inverter types (high-frequency transformer and low-frequency transformer). The analysis considers the DC–AC conversion efficiency of the inverter, system performance through performance ratio (PR) calculations, energy variations between fixed and tracking systems and the comparison between calculated and simulated data for the examined period. The energy output difference between the tracking and fixed systems of the same PV technology show that these are dependent on differences in temperature coefficient, shading and other system related issues. The PR analysis shows the effect of temperature on the multi-Si system. The difference between the simulated and measured values of the systems was mostly attributed to the irradiance differences. Regarding the inverter evaluation, the results showed that both inverter types underperformed in terms of the conversion efficiency compared with nameplate values.
Highlights
Precise and regular evaluation of photovoltaic (PV) system performance is vital for the continuing development of the PV industry
The second possible reason is the close proximity of the systems which may lead to some shading, in the case of the copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) fixed system, which is sometimes shaded by the mono c-Si (mono-Si) fixed array in front and perhaps by the stand-alone system, which is sited in front but to the side
The paper analyses the energy percentage difference between the tracking and fixed structure PV systems and the daily performance ratio (PR) for the systems installed at the IIT-Kanpur
Summary
Precise and regular evaluation of photovoltaic (PV) system performance is vital for the continuing development of the PV industry. This paper discusses the short-term performance variations of grid-connected PV systems installed at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-Kanpur), Solar Energy Research Enclave (SERE). This is a new PV research installation built for the purpose of understanding field performance of different PV technologies under Indian conditions. This installation is one of the first in India to have a detailed monitoring system and the analysis takes into account the limited installer experience in the case of sensors and data acquisition systems (DAS). The challenges presented by the operating environment include high-ambient temperatures and high levels of dust deposition on the PV array, making regular cleaning essential
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