Three grid-connected monocrystalline silicon arrays on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) campus in Gaithersburg, MD have been instrumented and monitored for 1 yr, with only minimal gaps in the data sets. These arrays range from 73 kW to 271 kW, and all use the same module, but have different tilts, orientations, and configurations. One array is installed facing east and west over a parking lot, one in an open field, and one on a flat roof. Various measured relationships and calculated standard metrics have been used to compare the relative performance of these arrays in their different configurations. Comprehensive performance models have also been created in the modeling software pvsyst for each array, and its predictions using measured on-site weather data are compared to the arrays' measured outputs. The comparisons show that all three arrays typically have monthly performance ratios (PRs) above 0.75, but differ significantly in their relative output, strongly correlating to their operating temperature and to a lesser extent their orientation. The model predictions are within 5% of the monthly delivered energy values except during the winter months, when there was intermittent snow on the arrays, and during maintenance and other outages.
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February 2018
Technical Briefs
Comparative Performance and Model Agreement of Three Common Photovoltaic Array Configurations
Matthew T. Boyd
Matthew T. Boyd
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),
100 Bureau Drive,
Gaithersburg, MD 20899
e-mail: matthew.boyd@nist.gov
100 Bureau Drive,
Gaithersburg, MD 20899
e-mail: matthew.boyd@nist.gov
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Matthew T. Boyd
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),
100 Bureau Drive,
Gaithersburg, MD 20899
e-mail: matthew.boyd@nist.gov
100 Bureau Drive,
Gaithersburg, MD 20899
e-mail: matthew.boyd@nist.gov
Contributed by the Solar Energy Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF SOLAR ENERGY ENGINEERING: INCLUDING WIND ENERGY AND BUILDING ENERGY CONSERVATION. Manuscript received March 3, 2017; final manuscript received September 26, 2017; published online November 14, 2017. Assoc. Editor: Geoffrey T. Klise.This material is declared a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
J. Sol. Energy Eng. Feb 2018, 140(1): 014503 (6 pages)
Published Online: November 14, 2017
Article history
Received:
March 3, 2017
Revised:
September 26, 2017
Citation
Boyd, M. T. (November 14, 2017). "Comparative Performance and Model Agreement of Three Common Photovoltaic Array Configurations." ASME. J. Sol. Energy Eng. February 2018; 140(1): 014503. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4038314
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