DEGRADATION ANALYSIS OF 350 KW PHOTOVOLTAIC PLANT AFTER 20 YEARS OF OPERATION

摘要

A 350 kW photovoltaic system was installed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1981, under the umbrella of Saudi-American programme for co-operation in the field of solar energy called SOLEARS. The project consisted of concentrating lenses and two-axis tracking control systems. It was operated in different modes, including stand-alone and co-generation with diesel generators. The system performance was monitored during 20 years of operation, which is considered to be the actual life of silicon solar cells. This paper discusses the main factors affecting system degradation under hot and arid weather conditions. Due to long the periods of exposure under the sun, the expected results can be considered a more realistic measure of degradation. The paper starts with a brief description of the photovoltaic power system (PVPS) and draws with conclusions about the PVPS degradation by comparing the current performance with the designed specification.