ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords:Residential PV system Energy production Performance ratio Performance Índex PI BelgiumThe main objective of this paper is to review the state of the art of residential PV systems in Belgium by the analysis of the operational data of 993 installations. For that, three main questions are posed: how much energy do they produce? What level of performance is associated to their production? Which are the key parameters that most influence their quality? This work brings answers to these questions. A middling commercial PV system, optimally oriented, produces a mean annual energy of 892 l

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords:Residential PV system Energy production Performance Ratio Performance Index CIS HIT PI FranceThe main objective of this paper is to review the state of the art of residential PV systems in France. This is done analyzing the operational data of 6868 installations. Three main questions are posed. How much energy do they produce? What level of performance is associated to their production? Which are the key parameters that most influence their quality? During the year 2010, the PV systems in France have produced a mean annual energy of 1163 kWh/kW p . As a whole, the orientation of PV generators causes energy productions to be some 7% inferior to optimally oriented PV systems. The mean Performance Ratio is 76% and the mean Performance Index is 85%. That is to say, the energy produced by a typical PV system in France is 15% inferior to the energy produced by a very high quality PV system. On average, the real power of the PV modules falls 4.9% below its corresponding nominal power announced on the manufacturer's datasheet. A brief analysis by PV modules technology has led to relevant observations about two technologies in particular. On the one hand, the PV systems equipped with heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) modules show performances higher than average. On the other hand, the systems equipped with the copper indium (di)selenide (CIS) modules show a real power that is 16% lower than their nominal valué.

This article presents an initial performance analysis of a database of photovoltaic (PV) system performance time series collected within the European funded COST Action PEARL PV. The database contains monitoring data of over 8400 PV systems with accompanying metadata. The PV plants are small residential systems, primarily installed in Europe, with a high density in Belgium. In this initial study, the annual average performance ratio, the annual energy yield, and the performance loss rate of the systems are determined and evaluated. The systems have an average lifetime of 30.5 months. The annual mean performance ratio across all systems is 76.7% and the average yield is 954.9 kWh/kWp per year. The performance loss rate is calculated using three different statistical approaches and one irradiance data source. Average performance losses between −0.74%/year and −0.86%/year are calculated depending on the used approach. Furthermore, certain weather-dependent correlations are detected, such as decreasing performance ratio and increasing yield values with increasing irradiation. This study is a stepping-stone for further populating the present database, lessons learnt for handling large amounts of PV performance data, and carrying out performance studies of PV system fleets installed across Europe.

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HIGHLIGHTS• This methodology allows estimating the long-term energy production of a CPV project with a = 5%.• The long-term trend of DNI is determined from satellite and its bias is corrected through a measurement campaign.• The Yield Assessment is carried out using a physical model that simulates the energetic yield of a reference CPV system.• The Certificate of Provisional Acceptance is delivered through on-site measurements achievable within one or two weeks.• The Certificate of Final Acceptance is awarded on the basis of a continuous monitoring campaign during 1 or 2 years. ABSTRACTConcentrating Photovoltaics (CPV) is an alternative to flat-plate module photovoltaic (PV) technology. The bankability of CPV projects is an important issue to pave the way toward a swift and sustained growth in this technology. The bankability of a PV plant is generally addressed through the modeling of its energy yield under a baseline loss scenario, followed by an on-site measurement campaign aimed at verifying its energy performance. This paper proposes a procedure for assessing the performance of a CPV project, articulated around four main successive steps: Solar Resource Assessment, Yield Assessment, Certificate of Provisional Acceptance, and Certificate of Final Acceptance. This methodology allows the long-term energy production of a CPV project to be estimated with an associated uncertainty of -5%. To our knowledge, no such method has been proposed to the CPV industry yet, and this critical situation has hindered or made impossible the completion of several important CPV projects undertaken in the world. The main motive for this proposed method is to bring a practical solution to this urgent problem. This procedure can be operated under a wide range of climatic conditions, and makes it possible to assess the bankability of a CPV plant whose design uses any of the technologies currently available on the market. The method is also compliant with both international standards and local regulations. In consequence, its applicability is both general and international.