Mapping the performance of PV modules, effects of module type and data averaging

摘要

A method is presented for estimating the energy yield of photovoltaic (PV) modules at arbitrary locations in a large geographical area.The method applies a mathematical model for the energy performance of PV modules as a function of in-plane irradiance and moduletemperature and combines this with solar irradiation estimates from satellite data and ambient temperature values from ground stationmeasurements. The method is applied to three different PV technologies: crystalline silicon, CuInSe2 and CdTe based thin-film technologyin order to map their performance in fixed installations across most of Europe and to identify and quantify regional performancefactors. It is found that there is a clear technology dependence of the geographical variation in PV performance. It is also shown thatusing long-term average values of irradiance and temperature leads to a systematic positive bias in the results of up to 3%. It is suggested to use joint probability density functions of temperature and irradiance to overcome this bias.