No abstract

The energy rating standard series IEC 61 853 parts 1–4 provide a procedure to calculate the performance of a photovoltaic (PV) module for six different reference climates. The results, denoted as climate specific energy rating (CSER), aim to predict the module's energy output for a complete year under maximum power point operation. The reference climate profiles shall represent the typical operating conditions of a PV module in a given region. Our study investigates the representativeness of these reference climates profiles for several locations in South and Central Europe. We gathered both ground‐ and satellite‐based data sets from different weather monitoring stations. Using such data for our specific location in Freiburg, Germany, and a specific reference module, we found deviations ranging from 2.0% to 2.9% compared to the CSER using the temperate continental profile. Further, we analyze the annual impact of the loss factors: reflectivity as function of angle of incidence, solar spectrum, ambient temperature, and irradiance on module performance. For an in‐depth PV module benchmarking, we recommend the use of site‐specific meteorological data for an accurate module performance assessment, rather than relying on the more general estimates from the standard procedure, which do not intend to capture site‐specific effects.