Assessment of thin-film technologies most suited for BIPV applications in Brazil: the PETROBRAS 44 kWp project

摘要

This paper describes the so far largest PV installation in Brazil. The system was designed to assess the performance of the three commercially available thin-film PV technologies operating in warm climates. The fully-monitored, grid-connected installation comprises six subsystems using PV modules from four different a-Si (amorphous silicon), one CdTe (cadmium telluride) and one CIGS (copper, indium-gallium, diselenide) thin-film manufacturer. The installation was designed to measure irradiation levels (horizontal and plane-of-array), temperatures (ambient and back-of-the-module) and AC and DC electrical parameters continuously, in order to compare the long-term output performance of these six state-of-the-art module types and two inverter types, looking at annual energy yields and performance ratios. Different inverter/PV array power ratios are also an aspect of investigation, aiming at studying their influence on energy yields in a warm and sunny site.