Energy Efficiency of Multi-Technology PV Modules under Real Outdoor Conditions—An Experimental Assessment in Ghardaïa, Algeria

Abstract

Energy efficiency and ratio performance are two key parameters for the analysis of the performance of photovoltaic (PV) modules. The present paper focusses on the assessment of the efficiency of four different photovoltaic module technologies based on energy efficiency and ratio performance. These PV modules were installed at the Applied Research Unit in Renewable Energy (URAER) in Algeria and were used to provide experimental data to help local and international economical actors with performance enhancement and optimal choice of different technologies subject to arid outdoor conditions. The modules studied in this paper are: two thin-film modules of copper indium selenide (CIS), hetero-junction with intrinsic thin-layer silicon (HIT) and two crystalline silicon modules (polycrystalline (poly-Si), monocrystalline (mono-Si)). These technologies were initially characterized using a DC regulator based on their measured I-V characteristics under the same outdoor climate conditions as the location where the monitoring of the electrical energy produced from each PV module was carried out. The DC regulator allows for extracting the maximum electrical power. At the same time, the measurements of the solar radiation and temperature were obtained from a pyranometer type Kipp & ZonenTM CMP21 and a Pt-100 temperature sensor (Kipp & Zonen, Delft, Netherlands). These measurements were performed from July 2020 to June 2021. In this work, the monthly average performance parameters such as energy efficiency are given and analyzed. The average efficiency of the modules over 12 months was evaluated at 4.74%, 7.65%, 9.13% and 10.27% for the HIT, CIS, mono-Si and poly-Si modules, respectively. The calculated percentage deviations in the efficiency of the modules were 8.49%, 18.88%, 19.74% and 23.57% for the HIT, CIS, mono-Si and poly-Si modules, respectively. The low variation in the efficiency of the HIT module can be attributed to the better operation of this module under arid outdoor conditions, which makes it a promising module for adaptation to the region concerned.

Experimental study on the impact of soiling on the modules temperature and performance of two different PV technologies under hot arid climate

“…From the above results the one can see the direct impact of soiling on the PV modules which is mirrored by a drop in the electrical output. Nevertheless, for long-term exposition, the accumulation of dust on the modules surface may lead to more complicated problems, mainly the degradation of the modules [ 38 ]. In fact, a long-term deposition of dust/soiling on the modules surface can lead to a partial shading of the cells, thus, the appearance of leakage currents leading to the creation hotspots.…”

Multi-criteria solar power plant siting problem solution using a GIS-Taguchi loss function based interval type-2 fuzzy approach: The case of Kars Province/Turkey

“…The band data from the Landsat 8 satellite was analyzed using ArcGIS 10.8 software, as shown in the diagram above [ 19 , 20 , 33 , [84] , [85] , [86] ]. During the initial phase of the investigation, the satellite images captured by Landsat 8 were analyzed and classified according to different bands.…”

Performances Analysis of Three Grid-Tied Large-Scale Solar PV Plants in Varied Climatic Conditions: A Case Study in Algeria

“…P AC_SPVp_2 = −365.17 + 74.761G mes , (10) Equations ( 9)- (11) show the positive linear relationship between the P AC,mes values and solar irradiance with correlation coefficients (R 2 ) of 0.963, 0.9067, and 0.9368, for the three power plants, respectively.…”

“…The performance of a solar photovoltaic plant (SPVP) is affected by many specific factors, which are related to the site and the weather conditions such as temperature, wind speed, solar radiation intensity, air pollution, etc. [9][10][11][12][13][14]. Indeed, the most important parameter which usually characterizes the performance of a solar PV power plant is the performance ratio "PR", which is defined as the ratio between the final yield of the solar PV plant to the reference yield and whose value is independent of the location and size of the solar PV plant.…”