Evaluation of performance at experimental buildings and real demonstration sites in BFIRST project: Theoretical and practical aspects for BIPV monitoring system

Monitoring is one of the main activity of BFIRST, Building-integrated FIbre-Reinforced Solar Technology, project, a 5 years funded European project, project reference number 29601, that started in April 2102 and deals with the design, development and demonstration of a portfolio of innovative photovoltaic products for building integration, based on cell encapsulation within fibre-reinforced composite materials. Automatic data acquisition systems are generally required for monitoring, performance evaluation and exchanging data of PV systems. Standard IEC 61724:1998 “Photovoltaic system performance monitoring –Guidelines for measurement, data exchange and analysis” provides a guideline that shall be followed in these cases. As far as Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) are considered, besides electrical parameters there is in addition the need to monitor the specific building performances. That is because a BIPV module operates as a multi-functional building construction material; it generates energy and serves as part of the building envelope. Since the building related performances are not included in the aforementioned IEC standard, a general guideline for monitoring was prepared within the project that has been used within the project at two levels: one at experimental sites mainly related to experimental single module testing and the other at demosite with real PV size plants

Stability and power quality issues in microgrids under weather disturbances: An implementation to the Kythnos island power system

In this paper, a stability study of Kythnos island power system was investigated under power generation deviation due to solar insolation variations measured from ground and Earth observation. The system was tested under different disturbances, like a sudden shadowing of the photovoltaic generators due to cloudiness moving at a speed of 20km/h. It was also assumed that the dimensions of the cloud were long enough in order to cover the island. This results to a successive reduction of the PV generated power. Two other disturbances for a 24h simulation were taken from real meteorological data, one from ground measurements and the other based on satellite derived irradiance data. From the simulation results of the first disturbance, it is shown that the system is generally stable for penetration level lower than 50% while it becomes unstable at higher levels due to insufficient spinning reserve. Additionally, the time interval of the shadowing effect over the island was slow enough in order to cope with it. For the second two disturbances from real weather data, the system is operating very close to the limits for high PV penetration rates. To optimize operation a satellite based nowcasting and short-term forecasting could be used. A 15 min advance notice, that cloud cover is eminent, would be adequate to start up the back up systems and avoid instability or black out events. Such a strategy allows reserve need reductions in clear sky cases as changes in weather conditions can be predicted early enough in advance

An analysis of the Greek photovoltaic market

The number of photovoltaic applications has increased slightly over the last 10 years in Greece, with a forecasted 40% increase in the annual rate of sales over the next few years, a target similar to the rest of the EU Member States. This article: (i) presents an analysis of the current situation on the photovoltaic market in Greece and attempts to segment this market; (ii) investigates the existing incentives policy, as well as the crucial barriers for the wide dissemination of the photovoltaic applications, and (iii) records the market actors' aspects and predictions for the future. Furthermore, in order to supply essential information for business development, the current investment and legislative framework is presented.

Energy investigation on households with BIPV modules under net metering scheme

In recent years many Renewable Energy Sources (RES) power plants have been connected to power networks throughout Europe, in order to meet the EU’s objectives for sustainable energy supply. As far as low-voltage distribution networks are concerned, the grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems constitute the most important representative of RES, because these can be easily installed even in densely built-up areas where space problems are inevitable. In this context, small residential PV systems utilising BIPV modules are going to gain ground mainly at newly built or rebuilt building structures. That is because a BIPV module operates as a multi-functional building construction material; it generates energy and serves as part of the building envelope. This paper highlights the energy benefits of residential buildings in Southern Europe with BIPV modules under Net Metering Scheme. The energy benefits are reflected in monthly basis

Households with Fibre Reinforced Composite BIPV modules in Southern Europe under Net Metering Scheme

In recent years many Renewable Energy Sources (RES) power plants have been connected to power networks throughout Europe, in order to meet the EU's objectives for sustainable energy supply. As far as RES residential applications are concerned, the grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems constitute the most important representative of RES, because PVs can be easily installed even in densely built-up areas. In this context, small residential PV systems utilising Building Integrated PV (BIPV) modules are going to gain ground mainly at newly built or rebuilt building structures. That is because a BIPV module operates as a multi-functional building construction material; it generates energy and serves as part of the building envelope. This paper highlights the energy benefits of residential buildings in Southern Europe with Fibre Reinforced Composite BIPV modules under Net Metering Scheme and proposes suitable grid-connected PV inverter structures in case of BIPV systems with multiple orientation and inclination profiles