Impact of individual atmospheric parameters on CPV system power, energy yield and cost of energy

The performance of concentrator photovoltaic systems can be characterised by the power output under reference conditions and the output energy yield under realistic solar illumination. For a range of locations, the frequency distribution of individual atmospheric parameters and their quantitative impact on power output of a concentrator photovoltaic system have been evaluated, with aerosols shown to have a substantial impact on performance at many sites. Limited knowledge of atmospheric parameters results in a difference of up to 75% in simulated energy yield over an annual period and up to 75% deviation in the expected levelised cost of energy. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.