Photovoltaic potential and performance evaluation studies in India and the UK

The research expresses the PV potential in the UK and India by examining the performance and the cost of domestic grid-connected PV systems. Further, crystalline systems and two thin film system technologies (amorphous silicon and copper indium gallium diselenide), which are installed at a site in India, are examined in order to validate the simulated outputs compared to the systems’ field performance and to compare the behaviour of the different module technologies under the harsh climatic conditions of India. The aim of this study was to evaluate the PV system performance and to develop methods for expressing the PV systems lifetime energy generation and the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) in both countries as a function of location or other influencing parameters. In the beginning the study presents the UK and India climates and the solar databases with their limitations. Further, it discusses the simulation outputs and the annual energy predictions for the UK and India. It also presents the UK and India PV markets and their policies and the LCOE equation, which was formed, and the methodology used for the LCOE calculations. It discusses the LCOE results and presents indicative lifetime CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions savings for the researched locations. Continuing, this study presents the model formed for the lifetime energy prediction and annual energy assessment based on PV system degradation and uncertainty factors. Finally, it summarises the technical and economic outputs of this research, by expressing the PV potentials in the UK and India. Even for these two countries, which are significantly different in respect to their solar resource, the PV systems may produce similar amounts of energy during their lifetime for reasonable assumptions of degradation rates and uncertainty levels. An uncertainty in the energy output makes the economic viability uncertain. Hence, the investor should be aware of the energy prediction risks, especially in investments where a minimum rate of return is specified. The intermediate lifetime energy range is 60,000-70,000 kWh for the UK while is between 70,000-100,000 kWh for India. The cost per kWh of a domestic PV system in India (range: 0.07-0.13 £/kWh) is lower than in the UK (range: 0.11-0.17 £/kWh) by considering only the net PV cost. However, it is more profitable with the current policies to install a domestic PV system in the UK rather than India. This shows that India has to reconsider its incentive policies for the domestic PV system deployment

A combined model for PV system lifetime energy prediction and annual energy assessment

This paper presents a generic model for the prediction of the lifetime energy production of photovoltaic (PV) systems and the assessment of their annual energy yield in different time periods of operation. As case studies, it considers domestic PV system generation potentials in the UK and India to demonstrate the model results across a range of contrasting climatic and operating conditions. The model combines long-term averages of solar data, a commercial PV system simulation package and a probability density function to express the range of the annual energy prediction in different time periods of system operation. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis based on degradation rates and energy output uncertainties is embedded in the lifetime energy calculations. The importance of the reliability and maintenance of the PV systems and the energy prediction risks, especially regarding economic viability, are demonstrated through the PV lifetime energy potentials in these two countries. It is shown that, even for countries that are significantly different in respect to their solar resource, PV systems may produce similar amounts of energy during their lifetime for reasonable assumptions of degradation rates and uncertainty levels

Short-term performance variations of different photovoltaic system technologies under the humid subtropical climate of Kanpur in India

The study discusses the short-term performance variations of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems installed in Kanpur, India. The analysis presents a holistic view of the performance variations of three PV array technologies [multi-crystalline (multi-Si), copper indium gallium diselenide and amorphous silicon] and two inverter types (high-frequency transformer and low-frequency transformer). The analysis considers the DC–AC conversion efficiency of the inverter, system performance through performance ratio (PR) calculations, energy variations between fixed and tracking systems and the comparison between calculated and simulated data for the examined period. The energy output difference between the tracking and fixed systems of the same PV technology show that these are dependent on differences in temperature coefficient, shading and other system related issues. The PR analysis shows the effect of temperature on the multi-Si system. The difference between the simulated and measured values of the systems was mostly attributed to the irradiance differences. Regarding the inverter evaluation, the results showed that both inverter types underperformed in terms of the conversion efficiency compared with nameplate values

The Effect of Distribution Network on the Annual Energy Yield and Economic Performance of Residential PV Systems under High Penetration

Technological advances, environmental awareness and, in several countries (including the UK), financial incentives lead to the adoption of PV (photovoltaic) systems. Economic viability, an important consideration for investment in residential PV, is dependent on the annual energy yield which is affected by distribution network based factors such as point of connection to network, network hosting capacity, load profiles etc. in addition to the climate of the location. A computational algorithm easy on resources is developed in this work to evaluate the effects of distribution network on the annual energy yield of residential PV systems under scenarios of increasing PV penetration. A case study was conducted for residential PV systems in Newcastle upon Tyne with a generic UK distribution network model. Results identified penetration levels at which PV generation curtailment would occur as a consequence of network voltage rise beyond grid limits and the variation in the percentage of annual energy yield curtailed among the systems connected to the network. The volatility of economic performance of the systems depending on its location within the network is also analysed. The study also looked at the impact of the resolution of PV generation profiles on energy yield estimates and consequently economic performance

Short-term performance variations of different photovoltaic system technologies under the humid subtropical climate of Kanpur in India

The study discusses the short-term performance variations of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems installed in Kanpur, India. The analysis presents a holistic view of the performance variations of three PV array technologies [multi-crystalline (multi-Si), copper indium gallium diselenide and amorphous silicon] and two inverter types (high-frequency transformer and low-frequency transformer). The analysis considers the DC–AC conversion efficiency of the inverter, system performance through performance ratio (PR) calculations, energy variations between fixed and tracking systems and the comparison between calculated and simulated data for the examined period. The energy output difference between the tracking and fixed systems of the same PV technology show that these are dependent on differences in temperature coefficient, shading and other system related issues. The PR analysis shows the effect of temperature on the multi-Si system. The difference between the simulated and measured values of the systems was mostly attributed to the irradiance differences. Regarding the inverter evaluation, the results showed that both inverter types underperformed in terms of the conversion efficiency compared with nameplate values

Simplified levelised cost of the domestic photovoltaic energy in the UK: the importance of the feed-in tariff scheme

This study examines the cost-effectiveness of residential photovoltaic (PV) systems in the UK by considering the changes occurring in the supporting mechanism, the Feed-in Tariff (FiT). The metric used is the levelised cost of energy. The analysis stresses the importance of the FiT scheme and demonstrates the lowest cost of produced energy that domestic PV systems can achieve with the current policies. In this study, the term grid parity is used when the levelised cost of the PV generated energy is lower than the retail electricity cost that the consumer pays. It is observed that, for certain scenarios and in certain UK cities, a domestic PV system can reach grid parity without using the FiT scheme, but it might not constitute a sufficient reason to invest in a PV system