Evaluation of the technical and economic aspects of solar photovoltaic plants under different climate conditions and feed-in tariff

In order to meet the energy demand and reduce the environmental pollution, it is necessary utilize photovoltaic (PV) module to produce electrical energy. There are many factors such as solar radiation, PV module material, wind energy, soiling factor, shading effect, geographical location, cell temperature is affecting the performance of the PV module. In this context, the performance of the multi crystalline based two PV plants has been examined. In this work, test is carried out in two solar plants installed at Kastoria, Greece (500kW, ground mounted) and Kocaeli, Turkey (110kW, roof mounted) and the results are compared with PVSYST software simulation results. From the results, it is found that the temperature losses for Kastoria and Kocaeli plants are obtained as 7.9% and 7.6% respectively. This leads to increase the performance ratio of 79% and 72.2% for Kastoria and Kocaeli plants respectively. Similarly, the maximum energy output is obtained for PVGIS database for all three models (Liu Jordan model, Hay Davies model and Perez model). The Internal Rate of Return for Kocaeli plant is 7.08% and for Kastoria plant is 6.71%. In addition, the Net Present Value for Kastoria and Kocaeli plant is obtained as 821900euro and 174072euro respectively.

Automated summary

To meet energy demand and reduce environmental pollution, it is necessary to use photovoltaic (PV) modules to generate electrical energy. This study examines the performance of two multi-crystalline based PV plants, and compares the results with PVSYST software simulations. The findings highlight the impact of temperature losses on PV module performance and demonstrate the predictive capabilities of the software.