Photovoltaic system performance in countries with high solar radiation

This work was facilitated by Cyprus International University under the supervision of the Vice Rector and Energy Expert, Assoc. Prof Serkan Abbasoglu. It presents the analysis and evaluation of data from a real world photovoltaic system at Cyprus Solar Technology (CYS) in Nicosia, Northern Cyprus. It also compares the evaluation with simulation results of three globally known PV software tools: pvPlanner, PVsyst and Homer. The parameters evaluated in this study are energy production, specific yield, performance ratio and capacity factor. CYS¿s results were first analyzed with respect to the meteorological condition of Nicosia; then, they were compared with the values obtained from the three simulators. Detailed explanations are provided for the monthly, seasonal and annual variation of CYS data and simulation results in this study. Solar PV thrives in regions where there is high irradiation and long sunny hours. The simulation tools appear to underestimate CYS¿s energy production. Different reasons led to this variation between real world application and simulation results. These reasons are discussed through this study in detail.