Performance of Si-based PV rooftop systems operated under distinct four seasons

We have investigated the electrical energy yield of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) single-junction and crystalline (c-Si) photovoltaic (PV) rooftop systems operated under distinct four seasons. The impact of the module type and installed tilt angle on the annual electrical energy yield has been monitored and then compared with the data predicted by the computer simulation. Despite a good temperature coefficient and less shading effect of a-Si:H single-junction modules, the energy output gain of the a-Si:H single-junction PV generator is only 2.7% compared to the c-Si PV generator installed using c-Si PV modules. It is inferred that a nominal rated power of the a-Si:H single-junction modules determined by an indoor light soaking test is not suitable for the design of PV systems operated under distinct four seasons. Thus, the nominal rated power of the a-Si:H single-junction PV modules should be determined through a proper outdoor exposure test considering thermal annealing and light soaking effects under various seasonal weather conditions. In addition, it is found that the performance of the Si-based PV rooftop systems operated under distinct four seasons could be improved by simply toggling the tilt angle considering the plane-of-array irradiance and snowfall effect. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.