The performance of rooftop solar PV system in South-Eastern Australia: A case study

Abstract

The rising greenhouse gas emission caused by fossil fuel burning is a growing concern for sustainable living and the environment. Globally, over 33 billion tonnes of CO2 is generated yearly through fossil fuel burning (44% by coal, 34% by oil, and about 21% by natural gas). The power generation by fossil fuel accounts for a lion's share of this amount. Hence, power generation by renewable energy (especially by solar and wind) is an alternative way to meet the rising electric power demand and reduce CO2 emissions. Australia like many other countries is encouraging power generation by renewable energy. Within a short span of time, Australia has become a global leader for power generation through rooftop solar PV systems. However, limited information on the in-situ performance of solar rooftop systems is available in the public domain. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to investigate the in-situ power generation performance of rooftop solar PV systems and compare it with the predicted performance of such systems. The performance of two solar rooftop PV systems was studied and their performances were benchmarked. The study revealed that there is a significant variation in power generation between the same power generation wattage systems manufactured by different companies. The study also revealed that the power generation can be lower as much as 20% from the predicted performance of a rooftop PV solar system.