Performance monitoring of different module technologies and design configurations of PV systems in South Africa

Abstract

Performance monitoring of different module technologies and system configurations of Photovoltaic (PV) systems in South Africa is rare which result in few reports being published based on field results of PV systems installed and operated in South Africa. The goal of this work was to analyse and report on the performance of PV systems by evaluating the energy output of various PV system configurations and module technologies in the South African (southern hemisphere) climatic conditions. To achieve this, a 400 kWp PV Solar plant has been installed and monitored since January 2015 at the Eskom Research and Innovation Centre (ERIC) in Rosherville, Gauteng. The plant consists of polycrystalline silicon (c-Si) and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin film technologies. The plant comprises of two 25° fixed north facing inclination, north-south single axis tracking and two 10° fixed shed orientation each for both module technologies. The analysis was conducted for a period of one year. The evaluation is achieved by studying the operation of PV plant under different weather conditions and the impact of different configurations and technologies on systems overall output, and performance ratio was calculated. The CIGS module technology performed better than c-Si technology in both fixed north facing and tracking configurations. The study provides an insight to identify the optimal configuration and suitable PV technology for deployment of solar photovoltaic system in South Africa. The monitored data and operating experience of PV system can be applied for future projects.