Performance of Ground Mounted PV System Affected by Near Shadings Losses

Abstract

The number of photovoltaic (PV) installations is growing fast in recent years as triggered by the decreasing installation price and the government’s support. The use of PV technology is not only limited to ground mounted with utility scale but also PV rooftop for resident especially in urban areas. However, factors like near shadings could reduce the performance of this system by producing irradiance loss. Dense buildings like in many urban areas may trigger this kind of loss. This paper evaluates the performance of a PV rooftop system due to such shading with a case study 1.5 kWp installed in Jakarta, Indonesia. System simulation theoretically calculates the energy variation produced in a year. As a result, The energy loss is about 2.3% - 2.6% caused by near shadings at STC.