Study of Photovoltaics (PV) Performance Degradation Analysis in Oman

The demand for electricity usage is increasing all around the globe. As an alternative and clean source to produce electricity there has been an emphasis on the usage of renewable energies. Sultanate of Oman has also taken an initiative by 2030 that at least 15% of the total energy mix should be generated through renewables. Considering the investments made in future it is also vital to estimate the Performance and reliability of PV modules under local climatic conditions. The surveyed data analysis of five sites under local climatic conditions has shown that the visual degradations such as encapsulate discolouration and delamination are main causes in old age group modules for higher degradation rates. Infrared (IR)-image analysis has shown that PV modules with 'hot cells' have higher degradation rates than the modules without 'hot cells'. The interconnect test results have indicated that series resistance increases with the increase in the severity of interconnect breakages (SIB) thus increasing the output power degradation rates. Electrical parameter data analysis has shown that all the module average power degradation rate is 2.05%/year which is much higher than European counties. CdTe PV technology has shown fewer degradation rates which is less than 1%/year and seems to be the best choice in the local climatic conditions. The average degradation rate with regard to PV module size is higher for small size and lower for a larger size. In the contrary with regard to PV system size, larger size has observed with fewer degradation rates. The roof-mounted installations have also observed with higher degradation rates than the ground-based installations

A case study of PV output power degradation rates in Oman.

To meet the increase in peak electricity demand and to reduce fossil fuel emissions in Oman and as an initiative taken by the government, by 2030, 15% (3000 MW) of the total energy mix (20,000 MW) should be generated from renewable energy resources like Solar and wind etc. It is crucial for the stakeholders and PV enthusiast to predict the return on investments and its performance in the local climatic conditions. In this paper, a case study has been presented where PV modules of different technologies, age and installed in different climatic conditions of Oman are studied. The results showed that the output power degradation for all modules is around 1.96%/year which is almost double compare to the European countries. Electrical analysis of different PV technologies showed that multi-crystalline silicon technology installed in hot and dry climate is degrading (around 2.54%/year) faster, while thin-film technology (CdTe) has shown lowest degradation (average of 0.8%/year) compare to any other PV technology. Furthermore, IR image analysis showed that presence of hot cells in PV modules are also a significant contributing factor in PV degradation rates. Severity of interconnect breakage (SIB) tests confirms the increase of the series-resistance of PV modules which is also a significant contributing factor for reduction in short-circuit current and thus PV maximum output power