Production Performance Comparative Study of Four Different Photovoltaic Technologies in Oued-Nechou region, Ghardaïa Province, Algeria

Abstract

Photovoltaic technology is a cornerstone of sustainable energy solutions, and understanding its operational efficiency is crucial. A recent study was conducted at a 1.1 MWp photovoltaic power plant in Ouad-Nechou, Ghardaïa city. The study compared four solar sub-fields, each tilted at 30°, using various photovoltaic technologies: thin-film (a-Si, CdTe) and crystalline silicon (mc-Si, pc-Si). Each 100 kWp sub-field was evaluated over four consecutive days to assess efficiency and effectiveness under uniform meteorological conditions. The amorphous silicon (a-Si) subfield was the most productive during the four measured days, reaching its peak spring production capacity of 99.98 kW on May 1st. Year-long performance evaluations of a-Si, CdTe, mc-Si, and pc-Si showed that the CdTe subfield exhibited the lowest output on September 29th, with 99.17 kW, while the a-Si subfield maintained higher production levels. The average power output was analyzed on January 1st, May 1st, July 1st, and October 1st, revealing that the amorphous technology outperformed the other technologies with a total production capacity of 47.03 kW. Additionally, the study included augmentation percentages to evaluate the performance of photovoltaic technology subfields. Accurate solar radiation data at a 30° tilt angle was analyzed using a rooftop radiometric station, with results favoring the accuracy of the PERRIN DE BRICHAMBAUT model over others, supported by statistical tests. This research provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of different photovoltaic technologies, highlighting the superior performance of amorphous silicon under varied seasonal meteorological conditions.