Performance of photovoltaic modules in a temperate maritime climate

Abstract

The energy production of photovoltaic modules is a topic of growing importance. Under real operating conditions two modules with the same name-plate efficiency may have very different energy productions, despite being installed at the same site. In this paper we investigate the performance of a variety of modules (crystalline, polycrystalline and single and multi junction amorphous silicon and cadmium telluride) installed in Loughborough in the UK. The paper investigates the reasons for the significant difference in performance of modules of the same technology and efficiency. The analysis is carried out on the basis of influence of device temperature, magnitude of irradiance, incident spectrum and age of device.