Performance and Degradation Analysis of Solar Photovoltaic Power Plants

Abstract

The adoption of solar photovoltaic technology has surged globally, driven by its promise newlinefor sustainable energy generation. However, ensuring optimal performance and mitigation of newlinedegradation is critical to maximizing the efficiency and life span of installed solar photovoltaic newline(SPV) power plants with different PV module technologies and weather conditions. This thesis newlinepresents a comprehensive analysis of the performance and degradation factors affecting solar PV newlinepower plant installations, aiming to optimize their efficiency and longevity. The research employs newlinea combination of experiential data collection, simulation techniques using PV syst simulation newlinesoftware and thermal Imaging technique with Fluke Connect SmartView software to evaluate the newlineperformance and degradation analysis of PV plants with polycrystalline PV module technology in newlinethe semi-arid climate region of Kota, Rajasthan. Key performance indicators such as solar newlineirradiance, energy yield, output power and performance ratio are analyzed to assess the newlineeffectiveness of various monitoring and maintenance strategies. Additionally, the thesis newlineinvestigates the primary degradation mechanisms like dust, hotspots, micro-cracks and electrical newlineparameter analysis by utilizing field data. A comparative study based on the actual measured newlineperformance data and simulated data of three different capacity grid-connected solar photovoltaic newlinepower plants for the semi-arid climate zone in Rajasthan, India. Amongst the three power plants of newline100 kWp, 300 kWp, and 2 MWp capacity, the 100 kWp plant has the highest actual performance newlineratio, 79.34%, than the other two plants. The study revealed that the measured performance ratio newlinevaries from 72% to 79%. The actual performance ratio of the 300kW plant is 72.64%, and the 2MW newlinesolar power plant is 74.3%. The simulated performance ratios for 100kWp, 300kWp, and 2MWp newlineplant are 83.72 %, 76.85%, and 80.9%, respectively.