A comparison of the performance of mono-Si and poly-Si photovoltaic modules operating under Kosovo climate condition

Abstract

The performance analysis and evaluation of a real grid-connected photovoltaic system operating under mild continental climate condition of Kosovo is conducted in this paper. The PV system is installed on a flat roof of the laboratory building at Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering. With fixed monocrystalline silicon (m-Si) and polycrystalline silicon (p-Si) module types with an installed capacity of 1.76 kWp and 2.16 kWp respectively, inclined at an angle of 45 • C, facing south and through two solar inverters, the latter feds the low voltage distribution grid with electricity. Performance and meteorological data for each type of modules were collected and analyzed for the period between December 2014 to November 2015. The m-Si PV modules have shown higher performance compared with p-Si PV modules. Electricity production during the monitoring period was 1286.57 kWh/kWp from p-Si modules and 1328.21 kWh/kWp from m-Si modules. The annually average daily final yield (Y f ), the annual average value of performance ratio (PR) and system efficiency (η sys ), for the p-Si PV modules were found to be 3.53 kWh/kWp/day, 80% and 11.67% respectively. In addition, corresponding values for the m-Si modules were 3.64 kWh/kWp/day, 84% and 12.78% respectively. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the performance of the photovoltaic system under study with other photovoltaic systems installed in various countries worldwide was carefully investigated and presented in this paper.

Performance evaluation of 50MWp solar plant under different climatic conditions

“…In Figures 15, 16, and 17, it can be seen that during the cloudy day, the yield of the PV module, inverter, and system have an irregular variation and with the presence of several peaks, this variation is caused by the rapid succession of irradiation due to the presence of cloud cover. The results also show that on a cloudy day the performance of the PV module, inverter, and system is maximum due to the low temperature and high wind speed that affects the temperature of the module, which is in agreement with the results reported in [13], [29], [30], [32]. The variation in yields and performance ratio is presented in three typical days in Figure 16 and Figure 17 respectively.…”

“…As shown in Figure 12 the measured wind speed is more important on a cloudy day than on other days. The difference between the ambient temperature and only the module temperature is more important on a clear day compared to the other two days where the wind speed is more important, this explains the results presented by [12], [13], [29] that the modules cool down quite quickly thanks to the wind speed. We can observe that the power of the PV array and the power injected into the grid follows the instantaneous changes of the irradiation values in the three days.…”

Achieving a Flexible and Sustainable Energy System: The Case of Kosovo

“…Based on the renewable source potential of Kosovo and in the [6], the optimal solution towards a feasible and sustainable energy system in Kosovo is to increase the investments in hydropower technology. However, due to the great potential of solar energy in Kosovo [67,68], exploration of photovoltaics and solar thermal technologies was also considered in this paper. In the scenario for 2030 hydropower plays the main role in the renewable energy supply.…”

Cogeneration of energy in solar systems - a study case, Kosovo

“…Agency (IEA) Task indicates a potential cost reduction of roughly 10% for PV-T installations compared to the combination of separate systems with market development. Hybrid photovoltaic and thermal (PVT) collectors combine photovoltaic (PV) cells and solar thermal components and enable the simultaneous conversion of solar energy into heat as well as into electricity [15], which is the integrated thermal store, or in the ground to be reutilized by ground-source heat pumps. Careful planning of energy use (demand-side management) may also be important in the effective operation of the system.…”