Analysis of loss factors in the photovoltaic systems of UTFPR Campus Curitiba

Growing demand for electricity coupled with concerns about global pollution, is causing countries to invest in more sustainable ways to generate electricity. Photovoltaic solar energy appears as one of the most promising renewable sources on the world stage, where world reports show constant increases in installed power, especially in the world’s most developed countries. For a photovoltaic system to deliver the expected results, several site studies are required to minimize losses. The Federal University of Technology – Paraná (UTFPR) campus Curitiba has two photovoltaic systems installed at its headquarters, one in the center, located on the roof of the Green Office (EV), and another one at Neoville. Merit indices appear as an important calculation method for comparing photovoltaic systems of different magnitudes and locations, with EV’s grid-connected photovoltaic system (SFVCR) average performance ratio of 71.93% while Neoville has 77.79%. In order to determine how much each loss factor impacts on power generation, a series of experiments were performed on the photovoltaic systems. Dirt has been a source of studies and has a strong impact on system performance, both when compared to scheduled cleaning and self-cleaning. For EV, the performance rate increased by approximately 6% for cleaning and 10% for self-cleaning compared to data prior to cleaning. The study revealed that for the center headquarters, the inverter has the highest loss rates, with a maximum efficiency of 92%, which can be explained by being an old model and still uses in its construction a transformer. Because EV is located in the city center, shading losses impacted only 4% as the tallest building was built at a safe distance. Electrical installations were correctly sized for wiring power and length, resulting in 0.45% losses. The angle of inclination and orientation often cannot be corrected, as photovoltaic installations usually follow the roof of the building, such as EV, and the calculated losses were just over 1%. In order to determine the losses due to module degradation and mismatch, a device was used which plots the module’s I-V curve, resulting in losses of 3.81%. At the end of all the work, it was determined that the photovoltaic system has a performance of 69.2%. The experiments were not all performed on the same day, but provide an overview of how the losses are distributed in the studied photovoltaic systems.A crescente demanda por energia elétrica aliada com a preocupação com a poluição mundial, estão fazendo com que os países invistam em formas mais sustentáveis para a geração de energia elétrica. A energia solar fotovoltaica aparece como uma das fontes renováveis mais promissoras no cenário mundial, onde os relatórios mundiais apresentam constantes aumentos de potência instalada, principalmente nos países mais desenvolvidos do mundo. Para que um sistema fotovoltaico apresente os resultados esperados, são necessários vários estudos no local de instalação, afim de minimizar as perdas. A Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR) campus Curitiba possui dois sistemas fotovoltaicos instalados em sua sede, um no centro, localizado na cobertura do Escritório Verde (EV), e outro no Neoville. Os índices de mérito aparecem como importante método de cálculo para comparação de sistemas fotovoltaicos de distintas magnitudes e localizações, tendo o sistema fotovoltaico conectado à rede (SFVCR) do EV taxa de desempenho médio de 71,93% enquanto o Neoville 77,79%. Com o intuito de determinar o quanto cada fator de perda impacta na geração de energia, uma série de experimento foram realizados nos sistemas fotovoltaicos. A sujidade foi fonte de estudos, sendo fortemente impactante no desempenho do sistema, tanto quando comparado com limpeza programada ou com autolimpeza. Para o EV, a taxa de desempenho apresentou aumento de aproximadamente 6% para a limpeza e 10% para a autolimpeza, quando comparados com dados em período anterior a limpeza. O estudo revelou que para a sede centro, o inversor apresenta os maiores índices de perdas, com eficiência máxima de 92%, o que pode ser explicado por ser de modelo antigo e apresentar em sua construção um transformador. Pelo fato de o EV estar localizado no centro da cidade, as perdas por sombreamento apresentaram impacto de apenas 4%, pois o prédio mais alto foi construído a uma distância segura. As instalações elétricas foram corretamente dimensionadas para a potência e comprimento do cabeamento, resultando em 0,45% de perdas. O ângulo de inclinação e orientação muitas vezes não podem ser corrigidos, pois geralmente as instalações fotovoltaicas acompanham o telhado da edificação, a exemplo do EV, e as perdas calculadas foram de pouco mais de 1%. Para determinar as perdas por degradação e descasamento de módulos, foi utilizado um equipamento que ao final plota a curva I-V do módulo, resultando em perdas na ordem de 3,81%. Ao final de todo o trabalho, foi determinado que o sistema fotovoltaico apresenta desempenho de 69,2%. Os experimentos não foram todos realizados no mesmo dia, porém oferece uma visão geral de como as perdas estão distribuídas nos sistemas fotovoltaicos estudados

Mapping and Characterization of the Grid-connected Photovoltaic Systems in the City of Curitiba: Preliminary Results

ABSTRACT This work presents the mapping of grid-connected photovoltaic systems supported by the Normative Resolution (NR) of the National Agency of Electric Energy (ANEEL) Nº 482/2012 in the city of Curitiba. Firstly, a brief introduction was made justifying the reasons that led to the development of this study, followed by the explanation about the methodology, procedures and criteria adopted in the study. A general mapping of all on-grid photovoltaic systems supported by NR Nº 482/2012 installed in the city of Curitiba, identified by class, is presented, indicating how the urban distribution of these photovoltaic systems occurs, and it is possible to observe in which regions the highest prevalence of installations occurs. From this, the general characterization of these photovoltaic systems is performed, classifying them by class, number of installed systems, power, number of modules, total occupied area, average power of modules and average efficiency of photovoltaic systems. Considerations are also raised regarding the reliability of the Database of Distributed Generation Consumer Units made available by ANEEL

Study of the Performance Reduction Due to the Dirt Effect in the Photovoltaic Systems of UTFPR - Curitiba

ABSTRACT Photovoltaic systems have been consolidated in the global energy scenario as an option of low environmental impact energy generation, high reliability and great applicability in urban centers, acting like energy generators near the point of consumption. The Federal University of Technology of Paraná (UTFPR), with the proposal of testing the performance of grid-connected photovoltaic systems (On Grid PV Systems) and help its entry into the Brazilian energy matrix, implemented this technology in two of its buildings: Green Office (GO) And Neoville. This paper analyzed the effects of dust on the Photovoltaic Systems performance based on daily energy. The analysis was carried out from the solar irradiance data from the places where the panels are installed and the electrical power data collected at the mass memory of the inverter of the two systems, in order to be analyzed and compared before and after the cleaning of the photovoltaic modules. The results at the end of the study indicate that dust directly impacts in the performance of the PV system