US-India Centre for Building Energy Research and Development

METHODOLOGY FOR
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF SOLAR
PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER GENERATION
SYSTEM IN BUILDINGS IN INDIA
June 2013

Acknowledgements:

We acknowledge financial support provided by the Department of Science and

Technology, Government of India under US-India Centre for Building Energy
Research and Development (CBERD) project, administered by Indo-US Science
and Technology Forum (ISSUTF)

Authors:
Jyotirmay Mathur, MNIT Jaipur

Illustration and Photo Credits

Kamlesh Jagratwal, MNIT Jaipur

Research Team
Kamlesh Jagratwal, MNIT Jaipur
Sumit Sharma, MNIT Jaipur
Dharmendra Kr Kumawat, MNIT Jaipur

METHODOLOGY FOR
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF
SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER
GENERATION SYSTEM IN
BUILDINGS IN INDIA
June 2013

This page is intentionally left blank

Contents
1.

Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1

1.1

About SPV system.................................................................................................................2

1.2

Types of SPV system ............................................................................................................2

1.3

Main Components of SPV System ........................................................................................3

1.3.1

Solar PV modules: .............................................................................................................. 4

1.3.2

Power Conditioning Unit/ Inverters .................................................................................... 8

1.3.3

Battery Bank ....................................................................................................................... 8

1.3.4

Mounting structures: ......................................................................................................... 11

1.3.5

Power Cable ...................................................................................................................... 11

1.4

Expected life ........................................................................................................................11

2.

Study Objectives ............................................................................................... 12

3.

Methodology ...................................................................................................... 12

3.1

Observation Formats ...........................................................................................................12

4.

Study Area ......................................................................................................... 14

5.

Key operational parameters ............................................................................. 15

6.

Format - On site measurements on SPV System ........................................... 18

6.1 Format [A] - Performance Monitoring of SPV system ............................................................18

6.2 Format [B] - Assessment of maintenance practices .................................................................22

6.3

Format [C] Collection of historical data...........................................................................23

7.

Measuring Instruments ..................................................................................... 24

8.

Monitoring method ............................................................................................ 25

9.

Standards ........................................................................................................... 26

10.

Data analysis ..................................................................................................... 27

11.

References: ........................................................................................................ 30

List of Figures
Figure 1: Standalone SPV System .................................................................................................. 2
Figure 2: Grid connected SPV System ........................................................................................... 3
Figure 3:Best-in-class commercial module efficiencies, 19992008, compiled from module
survey data ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Figure 4: The effect of temperature on the IV characteristics of a solar cell................................ 16
Figure 5: PV capacity factors varying by insulation and use of tracking systems ....................... 28

ii

List of Tables
Table 1: Solar Cell Failure .............................................................................................................. 6
Table 2: SPV module degradation rate ......................................................................................... 7
Table 3: Battery Standards ............................................................................................................ 10
Table 4: Expected Life of SPV system components..................................................................... 11
Table 5: Criteria for Evolving Methodology ................................................................................ 12
Table 6: Tilt Angle of Fixed Type SPV module for Max power generation ................................ 15
Table 7: General Information of SPV System ............................................................................. 18
Table 8: Solar Photovoltaic Module Detail .................................................................................. 19
Table 9: Battery bank detail .......................................................................................................... 20
Table 10: Power conditioning Unit Detail .................................................................................... 21
Table 11: SPV System maintenance practices detail ................................................................... 22
Table 12: Historical Data collection Format ................................................................................. 23
Table 13: Measuring Equipments ................................................................................................ 24
Table 14: Performance Parameters Measuring Methods .............................................................. 25

iii

1. Introduction
The buildings sector is one of the major consumers of energy. A country's per capita energy
consumption is an indicator of its economic status. The energy consumption growth rate is thus
high in developing country like India compared to developed country like US.
India has taken many favorable initiatives to harness the renewable energy sources for
supplementing its growing energy requirements and amongst these the foremost is extensive
deployment of solar photo voltaic for catering to localized requirements as well as establishment
of large SPV power plants for wider distribution of this green energy. The availability of solar
energy for more than 300 days in most parts of the country has also aided in an endeavor for
popularizing the use of SPV systems.
The use of SPV systems; both grid connected and independent systems have increased in the
past decades specially as the commercial tariffs are increasing year by year and also due to an
inclination to use green energy in the facilities. As solar generation system doesnt have any
moving part thus the required maintenance is comparatively less cumbersome. But for getting the
optimum output of SPV system, its regular maintenance and performances analysis is required.
An accurate evaluation of photovoltaic (PV) system performance is important for optimizing its
output. The performance evaluation helps in ensuring the quality of the yield and to identify
future needs. To meet this requirements the International Electro-Technical Commission (IEC)
has developed standard performance parameters for photovoltaic system performance monitoring
and analysis as per IEC standard 61724 [1].
The SPV based systems are now being deployed in large numbers in buildings and the
performance evaluation of the existing systems is to be undertaken for identifying the gaps
between the actual performance and an ideal installation. The gaps identified thus can help the
existing and the potential users to maintain their systems in a better way. Therefore with this
intent this report has been prepared for in field assessment of the SPV systems in buildings in
India. It briefly touches upon the various configurations of SPV systems based on the prevalent
technology and also covers the various sub elements of the SPV system such as power condition
1

unit, Batteries etc. The different national and international standards as applicable have been
referred.

1.1 About SPV system

SPV system works on the principle of Photovoltaic effect. Semiconductor materials generate
voltage / electric current when exposed to light. Solar PV modules made of semiconductor
material with no moving parts thus convert sunlight into direct-current electricity. This
technology is simple, reliable, available everywhere, in exhaustive, almost maintenance free,
clean and suitable for off-grid applications.

1.2 Types of SPV system

Mainly three types of SPV systems are available in Indian market.

Stand alone SPV system

Grid connected SPV System

Grid Interactive SPV System

In standalone systems (Fig 1) usually small capacity discreet units, the DC power generated from
SPV panels is used to charge the Battery using charge controller. If connected load is DC then
power directly can be drawn from battery. For meeting the AC load requirements, first the DC
power is converted into AC using Power conditioning unit (PCU) and then supplied.

Figure 1: Standalone SPV System

(Source: sungreensol.com)

The grid connected system (Fig 2) is similar to Stand alone system but it has additional facility to
take grid power in case of absence of solar power to meet the load requirements.

Figure 2: Grid connected SPV System

(Source: firstgreenconsulting.worldpress.com)

Grid interactive system is same as grid connected system but it is connected to grid in both ways.
(Export & Import).The DC power generated from SPV panels is converted to AC power using
power conditioning unit and is fed to the grid either of 11 KV three phase line or of 220 V single
phase line depending on the system configuration .During day time solar PV power is utilized
and the excess power feeds to the grid. During the night time (or in the absence of solar or
cloudy weather) the required electric power is supplied by grid.Net metering is used in this
system. But in India net metering facility is not available.

1.3 Main Components of SPV System

The main components of SPV power generation system are 1. Solar PV Modules
2. Power Conditioning Unit/ Inverters
3. Power Storage system ( Battery bank)
4. Mounting structures:
5. Cable /Wiring
3

1.3.1

Solar PV modules:

This is the basic component of SPV system which converts solar energy into Electrical energy by
Photovoltaic effect. The Photovoltaic are also called solar cells. These solar Cells are grouped
together to form a PV modules and modules are joined together to form an array.
Solar PV cells technology: PV cell technologies are usually classified into three categories
based on basic semiconductor material used in fabrication.
a. First-generation (Crystalline silicon)
b. Second-generation (Thin film)
c. The third-generation PV (Dye-sensitized and organic PV cells)
(a) First-generation PV cells: Crystalline silicon cells are classified into three main types
depending on
1 Mono crystalline (Mono c-Si)

2.Polycrystalline (Poly c-Si)

3. EFG ribbon silicon and silicon sheet-defined film growth (EFG ribbon-sheet c-Si).
Modules made from Crystalline cells are the most efficient of the mainstream PV technologies
and accounts for about 84% of PV produced in 2008 (Bartlett et al. 2009).Mono crystalline cell
are more efficient then poly crystalline but are more expensive.
(b) Second-generation PV cells: The thin film category PV cells made of very thin layer of
semiconductor material falls in second generation SPV cells. Multifunction PV cells also come
in this category. Thin Film can be packaged into flexible and lightweight structure which makes
it suitable to integration into building
The following type thin film modules are commercially available in market.
o Amorphous silicon (a-Si),
o Copper indium diselenide (CIS),
o Copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS)
o Cadmium telluride (CdTe).
(c) The third-generation PV Cell: Concentrating PV (CPV) and organic PV cells belongs to
this category. Limited installations of this type are presently deployed.
4

PV Module Efficiency: PV modules are made of series and parallel combination of cells. The
efficiency of PV modules is lower than the efficiency of the cells from which they are made.
Figure-3 depicts best-in-class module efficiencies from 1999 to 2008, with the best crystalline
silicon efficiencies at 17%19% and the best thin-film efficiencies at 7%11% in 2008.

Figure 3:Best-in-class commercial module efficiencies, 19992008, compiled from module survey data
(Source : Kreutzmann 2008, Photon International 19992008)

Degradation: Degradation mechanisms may involve either a gradual reduction in the output
power of a PV module over time or an overall reduction in power due to failure of an individual
solar cell in the module.
1. Solar Cell Degradation 2. Solar Cell Failure

1. Solar Cell Degradation

A gradual degradation in module performance can be caused by:

Increases in RS (Series resistance) due to decreased adherence of contacts or corrosion

(usually caused by water vapor)

Decreases in RSH (Shunt Resistance) due to metal migration through the p-n junction; or
Antireflection coating deterioration.

2. Solar Cell failure: Common Solar cell failure given in Table 1 :

S.No

Failure

Remark
Common failure of thin film cells

Short-Circuited Cells

Top & bottom layer are so closer thats increases the

chance of being shorted
Result of Cell cracking caused by thermal stress, hail or

Open-Circuited Cells

Interconnect Open-Circuits

Module Open-Circuits

Module Glass Breakage

Module De lamination

Hot-Spot Failures:

damage

due to cyclic thermal stress and wind loading leads to

interconnect open circuit failures
Due to insulation degradation with weathering
Due to vandalism, thermal stress, handling, wind or hail.

Caused by reductions in bond strength

Mismatched, cracked or shaded cells can lead to hot-spot
failures
Table 1: Solar Cell Failure

(Source: http://pveducation.org/pvcdrom/modules/degradation-and-failure-modes)

A detailed literature review had been sought for different degradation factors .Results shows that
information of degradation of PV module collected since 1970s.

Table 2.shown below gives some information of PV module degradation:

S
No.

Testing time
/Observation
Time

PV Module Type

Factors for
Degradation

C.Radue,
E.E.vanDyk [2]

Amorphous silicon
modules manufactured by
monolithic integration

Typical light Induced

degradation (LID)
Cell mismatch and
cell degradation.

14 Months

45% of intial
max.Power

D.L.King,M.A.
et.al.[3]

Multi crystalline PV
Module

Exposed to UV
radiation

10 years

4% of intial
performance

NREL[4]

Single and Multi

crystalline PV Module

Isc losses due to UV

absorption on upper
surface.

1 year

0.7% of intial
performance

Edson L. Meyer
and E. Ernest van
Dyk[5]

Copper Indium
Diselenide (CIS),
single and triple junction
amorphous silicon
(a-Si and a-SiGe)

Cracked cell
Mismatch due to
crack cells

Crystalline silicon

Isc losses due to UV

absorption
Voc drop
internal
defects

2 years

1.0% and 3.5%

within the first year.
0.4% and
1.3% in the second
year

Reis et al.[7]

Mono-Si

Isc losses due to UV

absorption
Cracked cell

11 years

04% per year

Osterwald et al.[8]

Monocrystalline and
multicrystalline

oxygen contamination
in the bulk of the Si
junction
ultraviolet exposure

04% per year

Adelstein and
Sekulic[9]

Amorphous silicon
modules

Isc losses due to UV

absorption
Cell degradation

6 years

1.13% yearly

Marion et al.[10]

CdTe system

Climatic conditions

5.5 years

06%/year

Authors

Jorge Coello[6]

UV exposure
reaches
130kWh/m2

Table 2: SPV module degradation rate

Note: Standards: PERFORMANCE 90% for initial 10 years and 80% for next 25 years
Degradation 1% for initial and 0.5 % annually thereafter

Degradation

50% degradation

1.3.2

Power Conditioning Unit/ Inverters

The power generate by PV modules varies with solar radiation and module temperature thus
there is mismatch between characteristic curve of a PV and characteristic curve of the load. The
power conditioning units (PCU) are used to provide a match between the specific characteristics
of the PV generator and the connected balance of system (BOS) components. The power
conditioning unit effects a transformation of the loads voltage and current in such a way, that
the PV generator is operated at its optimum operation voltage VMPP (Voltage at maximum power
point) even under changing boundary conditions. (11)
1.3.3

Battery Bank

A battery bank is used to store energy produced by SPV system. This stored energy can be
utilized in night time or in the absence of sun. Battery bank also provides the facility to store the
excess solar generated energy which can be utilized later. There are many types of batteries
available, and each type is designed for specific applications. Lead-acid batteries are more
popular for residential use because of their low maintenance requirements and cost.
De-Rating Factors of Battery
Batteries efficiency decrease with the time. If SPV module generates power efficiently but the
battery bank not working efficiently thus complete system efficiency decrease. Battery de-rating
factors given below:

Effect of current on Ah rating

Effect of temperature on Ah rating

Depth of discharge

Deep discharge

Charging system

Storage and self-discharge

State of Charge (SOC)

Stratification
8

Battery Gassing and Overcharge Reaction

Corrosion

Sulfation

Specific Gravity

Maintenance Issues of batteries (Dos and Donts)

1. Batteries must be kept clean and dry. If the top surface of the battery gets dirty or wet, a
small flow of electricity will flow between the terminals as the water creates a conductive
path. If installed in a location where water can drip onto them, this can cause the batteries
to discharge rapidly.
2. Cable connection needs to be clean and tightened.
3. Batteries need water to replenish the constant water loss during each charging cycle as
hydrogen gas is released, and only distilled water should be used.(exception
4. Don't overfill battery cells especially in warmer weather. The natural fluid expansion in hot
weather will push excess electrolytes from the battery.
5. To prevent corrosion of cables on top post batteries, use a small bead of silicon sealer at the
base of the post and place a felt battery washer over it.
6. Coat the washer with high temperature grease or petroleum jelly (Vaseline). Then place
cable on post and tighten, coat the exposed cable end with the grease.
7. Avoid repeated deep discharging of batteries. The more a battery is discharged, the shorter
its lifetime. In addition, if your batteries are deeply discharged every day, you should
increase the size of your battery bank.
8. Keep batteries at rated temperatures. Battery life is rated for 70-75 F temperatures.
Keeping batteries warmer than this significantly reduces their life. Passive solar is a great
way to heat a battery storage unit, but it must be well insulated.
Keeping the batteries cooler than 70-75 will not significantly extend their life but will
reduce their capacity. Discharged batteries may freeze and burst, so maintain an adequate
charge on the batteries in cold weather

9. Maintain the same charge in all the batteries. Although the entire series of batteries may
have an overall charge of 24 volts, some cells may have more or less voltage than
neighbouring batteries
10. Inspect your batteries often. Some things to look for are leakage (build up on the outside of
the battery), appropriate fluid levels (for flooded batteries), and equal voltage. Your battery
manufacturer may have additional recommendations.
11. Place batteries in a well-ventilated, temperature-moderated area because batteries give off
gases that could accumulate to form an explosive mixture. Batteries should be kept in an
uncluttered, dry area of a shed or garage or placed in a vented box with a strong lock for
easy but safe access
Standards for battery: The Table 3 below gives the details of the various standards applicable
for batteries (commonly used with SPV systems)

S.
No.

Standards

Name

Remarks

Gives general information relating to

the requirements of secondary
batteries used in PV solar system,
Secondary cells and batteries methods of test used for the
International Electro for solar photovoltaic energy
verification
of
battery
technical commission
systems general requirements Performance,-VIZ capacity, cyclic
(IEC ) 61427
and methods of test
endurance and mech. endurance .It
does not include battery sizing,
method of charge (or) PV system
design

IEEE937-1987
(R1993)(USA)

IEEE recommended practice

for installation and
maintenance of lead acid
batteries for PV systems.

Design considerations and

procedures for storage, location
mounting, ventilation, assembly and
maintenance of lead acid batteries
for PV system

IEEE1013-1990(USA)

IEEE recommended practice

for sizing lead acid battery for
PV

Recommends methods for sizing

both vented and valve regulated
LAB for stand alone PV system.

Table 3: Battery Standards

10

1.3.4

Mounting structures:

PV modules mounted on a fixed or moveable (in case of solar track) structures. The mounting
structure must be suitable to mount the SPV modules on the roof top or on the ground in
accordance with the latitude of the place of installation & should be able to withstand the speed
for the wind zone of the location. In case of Earth quark zone ,flexible structure is preferable.
1.3.5

Power Cable

Cable is used to transfer the PV generated power from generation place to load. The losses in DC
wiring is more as compare to AC therefore DC wiring should be minimized. The cable should be
in general conforming to IS-1554 P+1 & other relevant standards.

1.4 Expected life

The expected life of the SPV system components is as per Table 4 [12]

S.No

Item

Life

Modules

30 years for mature module technologies

Inverters

15 years for small size plants (residential PV); 30 years with

10% of part replacement every 10 yrs (parts need to be specified)
for large size plants

Structure

30 years for roof-top and faades and between 30 to 60 years for

ground mount installations on metal supports.

Cabling

30 years

Battery

3-5 Year for Lead Acid Battery

Table 4: Expected Life of SPV system components

11

2. Study Objectives
The objective the study is Assessment of the existing SPV systems deployed in buildings in India
to identify the gaps, which can result in system optimization.

3. Methodology
The following criteria given in Table 5 have been used for evolving the methodology for
assessment of SPV system:

S.No

Criteria

Outcome

Reference

Review of best practices for

performance evaluation of Solar
Photovoltaic power generation system.

Matrix of parameters to be
monitored during onsite
study

International standards
NREL,MNRE, Research
Papers

Review of Installation &Maintenance

guidelines

Matrix of maintenance
parameters to be reviewed
during on-site study

Research papers, SPV

manufacturer manuals.

Relevance of historical performance

data of SPV system for assessment.

Past performance analysis

and ascertaining
operational gaps

Research paper, NREL

Report

Table 5: Criteria for Evolving Methodology

3.1 Observation Formats

Based on the above criteria the detailed format for recording the observations have been evolved
with the following key considerations
i.

Short listing of Parameters to be monitored during onsite study :

The parameters have been selected so that the performance evaluation of SPV system as a whole
can be carried out and in addition to this all the sub systems are also evaluated for their
performance.
12

These SPV performance parameters are developed on the basis of following considerations:

SPV system power generation output depends on System size, geographic location,
weather condition. Therefore to compare various PV systems, the performance
parameters should be able to provide a single base for comparing such PV systems.

Parameters should have capacity to detect operational problems and provide information
regarding losses in system.

The parameters should be able to validate models developed for system performance
estimation during the design phase.[13]

ii.

Maintenance practices

The maintenance practices would be evaluated based on the structured format to summarily
bring forth any deviations which are existing from the recommended operational practices.
iii.

Historical data analysis

The previous operational data (typically 12 months duration) would be collected for assessment
of operational practices and for assessing the gaps therein.
iv.

Simulation based performance analysis

The operational data and in field collected data would be simulated using standard simulation
packages such as PVsyst , eQUEST etc. The output would be compared to the actual
performance data.
With above key considerations the detailed data recording formats have been evolved as under:
Format A -Collection of Installation Data
Format B - Performance Monitoring of SPV System
Format C - Assessment of maintenance practices
Format D - Collection of historical data

13

4. Study Area
Initially the following sites have been shortlisted for performance evaluation of SPV system
1. MNIT Administrative Block (2kWp)
2. Bosch Pvt Ltd (40 kWp), Jaipur
3. OTS (25 kWp), Jaipur
4. OTS (10 kWp), Jaipur
5. REIL (2 kWp), Jaipur
6. Women Ajmer Engineering College (25 kWp * 2), Ajmer
7. Bayer, Greater Noida
8. Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha, JAipur
9. Kala Dera, Jaipur 25 kWp
10. ICAT 50kWp (Manesar )
11. RL Saharia Government PG College Kaladera (25kWp)
12. Veer Sarvarkar Stadium, Ahmadabad
13. Vidhut Bhavan , Jaipur
14. BOB, Jaipur

14

5. Key operational parameters

Solar Insolation: An estimation method used in Ref. [14] Proposes that the power output of a
PV system is proportional to the isolation levels measured for the surface of a solar cell at any
angular position.
Mismatch Effect: Solar Cell / Modules are connected in series and parallel as per requirements.
If Connected Cell /Modules do not have identical properties or which experience different
conditions from one another. This creates mismatches losses in SPV Systems. This is a serious
problem in PV modules and arrays under some conditions because the output of the entire PV
module under worst case conditions is determined by the solar cell with the lowest output. Its
mean that if one solar cell is shaded while the remainder in the module are not, the power being
generated by the "good" solar cells can be dissipated by the lower performance cell rather than
powering the load. This in turn can lead to highly localised power dissipation and the resultant
local heating may cause irreversible damage to the module. The impact and power loss due to
mismatch depend on the operating point of the PV module, the circuit configuration and the
parameter (or parameters) which are different from the remainder of the solar cells. [15]
Direction of panel: The panel facing depends on the location of site. Suitable directions are
For Northern Hemisphere: True South & For Southern Hemisphere: True North
Tilt angle: For getting maximum energy from Solar system, PV modules should be installed at
the given tilt angle according to the latitude of location. (Table 6)

Latitude Site

Tilt Angle

0-15

15

15-25

Same as Latitude

25-30

Add 5 to local latitude

30-35

Add 10 to local latitude

35-40

Add 15 to local latitude

40 +

Add 20 to local latitude

Table 6: Tilt Angle of Fixed Type SPV module for Max power generation

15

Type of tracking: SPV system generates maximum power when PV modules remain normal to
the sun. This can be done by tracking but it increase system cost and makes its a little
complicated. Two types of sun tracer are available in market, N-S tracking (Daily) & E-W
Tracking (Seasonal)
Inverter efficiency: Inverter is a device, which converts solar generated DC electric power into
AC power. The average maximum efficiency of inverters was 95.5% in 2008, up from 94.7% in
2005 [16].
Battery performance: Batteries are used as a Energy storage device in SPV System. Battery
first convert solar generated DC power into chemical energy and stores it. When power is drawn
from battery then it again converts the stored energy in to Electrical power.
Wiring losses: Solar Generate power transmitted from Module to load by wires. Losses in DC
wire are more as compare to AC. Therefore, DC wiring should be minimized and Cable / wire
standards should be follows.
High cell temperatures: Increases in temperature reduce the band gap of a semiconductor,
thereby effecting most of the semiconductor material parameters (Fig.4). (As increasing the
energy of the electrons in the material) Lower energy is therefore needed to break the bond. In
the bond model of a semiconductor band gap, reduction in the bond energy also reduces the band
gap. Therefore increasing the temperature reduces the band gap. The impact of increasing
temperature is shown in the figure below. [17]

Figure 4: The effect of temperature on the IV characteristics of a solar cell

16

Voltage is indirectly proportional to the temperature of SPV Cell temperature. As increasing the
temperature of Cell, voltage goes down hence power generation decrease.
Dirt and other materials obscuring sun-collecting surfaces: Dirt reduce the effective solar
insolation on SPV module which trends to reduce the output current of the modules hence
reduces the power generation .SPV Generated current is directly proportional to solar insolation.
Weather conditions: Weather condition also influences the efficiency, which depends nonlinearly on the irradiation level and temperature. For example, a cloud passing over a portion of
solar cells or a sub-module will reduce the total output power of solar PV arrays. Under certain
cloud conditions, the changes can be dramatic and fast. A method is required to assess the cost of
such fluctuations and their effect on other systems to which a solar array may be connected e.g.
utility [8][9][18] [19]

17

6. Format - On site measurements on SPV System

As stated above, the detailed on site data recording formats for complete SPV power generation
system have been evolved in different formats separately.

6.1 Format [A] - Performance Monitoring of SPV system

(i) General Information

Parameter

Description

Name of Organization & Address

Site Location
Capacity of System
Supplier of SPV system & Contact No.
Name of contact Person & Contact Information
Installation Date
Monitoring Date
Type of System
Units generated till date ( kWh)
Table 7: General Information of SPV System

18

(ii) Solar Photovoltaic Module

Parameter

Description

Manufacturer
Technology
(Mono-crystalline/ Poly Crystalline / Thin Film/others)
Mounting Deposition
(Flat roof/Faade or tilt roof/Ground Base)
Ventilation Properly
(Free standing/Ventilated/No ventilation)
Total no of modules
Rated Capacity of Modules ( Pmax) W
Open Circuit voltage Voc
Short Circuit Current ISC
Voltage at maximum power Vmp
Current at maximum power Imp
Fill Factor
Size
Tilt angle of Solar panel
Direction of Panel
Connection of Modules
Cell spacing ( in mm)
Active Area
Collector Plan Area
Position of shadow on modules
Module temperature
Structure detail
Table 8: Solar Photovoltaic Module Detail

19

(iii) Storage (Battery Bank)

Parameter

Description

Manufacturer
Model
Battery Bank is available or not
Capacity of Battery bank
Capacity of single Battery
Quantity of Batteries
Make of Battery
Types of Battery

(Sealed Maintenance Free Battery/ Lead acid tubular)

Any replacement or repairing of battery
Terminal condition
Terminal Caps
Vent Plug condition ( Clean or choke)
Battery Stand coated with rubber
Actual Battery AH
Spare & Saftey equipment status
Safety Hand gloves
Goggles for eye protection
Table 9: Battery bank detail

20

(iv) Power Conditioning Unit

Parameter

Description

Type (Central/String)
Make
Capacity
SPV voltage on PCU
SPV current on PCU
Battery voltage on PCU
Output voltage on PCU
Output current on PCU
Load on PCU
Communication Interface facility
Connected load (kW)
Table 10: Power conditioning Unit Detail

21

6.2 Format [B] - Assessment of maintenance practices

Parameter

Description

Module Cleaning Frequency

Module wiring condition
Battery Ventilation Condition
Battery Lead condition ( Hot or normal)
Battery terminal position
Terminal Caps Condition
Water level of Battery
(Green/Middle/Red)
Specific Gravity of Acid ( 1100-1250 )
Spare DM water
Status of Maint. Schedule Chart
Table 11: SPV System maintenance practices detail

22

6.3 Format [C] Collection of historical data

Parameter

Description

Name of Organization & Address

Site Location
Capacity of System
Supplier of SPV system &
Contact No.
Name of contact Person &
Contact Information
Installation Date
Monitoring Date
Type of System
Units generated till date ( kWh)
Table 12: Historical Data collection Format

23

7. Measuring Instruments
The parameters identified above would be measured with the help of highly precise and accurate
measuring instruments. Details of identified parameters and the corresponding required
measuring instruments and their specification are furnished in Table 13 below:
Identified
Parameter

Measuring
location

Instrument
Name

Specification

Voltage

PV modules

Multi meter ,Tong

Tester

Customize specification

Current

PV modules

Multi meter ,Tong

Tester

Customize specification

Power/Energy

PCU output

Energy meter
/Power analyzer

Customize specification

Temperature

PV modules

Infrared
Thermometer

-50.0 to 550C

Direction

PV Module

Compass

Inclination Angle

Dimensions

PV Module

Digital Protractor

Measuring Tape,
Scale

5 meter

Specific Gravity

Battery

Solar Insulation

PV Module

IV curve

PV Module

Solar Module
Analyzer

Battery

Battery AH Tester

Battery Capacity

Full 360 range (90 x 4)

Accuracy :0.1 Level 10,
Plumb 10, 0.2Maximum
error

Hydrometer

Table 13: Measuring Equipments

24

Voltage : 0 to 60 V ,
Current : 0 to 12 A
Resistance : 4m to 400
Voltage : 6V ,60 V
Current : 600 A

8. Monitoring method
The measured parameters and array characteristics are defined in IEC 61194, Table 14 [1]
Measuring

Method

Parameters

Equipment

Solar irradiance

Irradiance data are recorded in the

plane of the array for use in the
performance analysis of the PV
system.

Module
temperature

Temperature sensors located on the

Ultrasonic Temp.
back surface of one or more modules. Gun

Ambient air
Temperature

by means of temperature sensors

located in solar radiation shields

Wind speed

Wind speed shall be measured at a

height and location which are
representative of the array conditions

Voltage and
current

By Clamping
The voltage and current parameters
may be either dc or ac

Tong tester ,Multimeter

Electrical power

The electrical power parameters may

be dc, ac, or both

Tong tester ,Multimeter, Energy Meter

Location

Latitude and Longitude

Weather Data

Position(Module
Facing)

Direction

Compass

Module Tilt Angle

Tilt Angle

Digital Protector

Pyranometers,
Solarimeter

IEC 60904-2 or
IEC 60904-6

IEC 61829

Ultrasonic
Temp.gun

Table 14: Performance Parameters Measuring Methods

25

Remark

Accuracy : better
than 1 % of the
reading

9. Standards
The quality of equipment should meet the guidelines for engineering design included in the
standards and codes listed in the relevant ISI and other standards,
o IEEE 928: Recommended Criteria for terrestrial PV power systems.
o IEEE 929 Recommended practice for utility interface of residential and intermediate PV
system.
o IEEE 519 Guide for harmonic control and reactive compensation of static power controls.
o National Electrical NFPA 70-1990 (USA) or equipment national standard.
o National Electrical safety Code ANSI C2 ( USA) or equipment national standards.
o IEC : 61215 (2005)- Crystalline silicon terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules Design
qualification and type approval
o IEC: 61730 -1,-2 photovoltaic (PV) modules safety qualificat ion part 2: Requirements
for testing
o IEC: 60904-1 (2006) Photovoltaic Devices- part-I: Measurement of photovoltaic currentVoltage Characteristic.
o IS 9000 Basic environment testing procedure for Electronic and electrical items.

26

10. Data analysis

The data collected according to previously define format would be analyzed through sets of
equation and it would also shows about whether data collected is sufficiency or need to collect
some more data. The main parameters for evaluation of PV system performance as per IEC
61724 standards are as follows:
1. Final yield(YF)
2. Reference yield(YR)
3. Performance ratio (PR)
1. Final yield (YF): The total energy generated by the PV system for a defined period (day,
month or year) (E) divided by the rated output power (PPV,

Rated)

of the installed PV system is

called the Final yield (YF). The rated power is provided under standard test conditions (STC)
which is referred as 1000W/m2 irradiance, 25 0 C ambient temperatures and air mass1.5g.
YF =

Ppv,rated

2. Reference yield (YR): Reference yield is the ratio of total in plane solar insolation (Ht) (kW
h/m2) to the reference irradiance (G) (1kW/m2). This parameter represents equal number of hours
at the reference irradiance and is given as:

3. Performance ratio (PR): Performance ratio is the ratio of the final yield (YF) to the reference
yield(YR). This normalizes performance parameter with respect to the incident solar radiation
and is a dimensionless quantity. It provides important information about the overall effect of
losses. This parameter is used to evaluate the long term changes in the performance. The
decreasing year wise PR values are indicative of loss in the performance.
PR=

The performance ratio (PR) depends on the kind of installation. The mean annual performance
ratio shows an upward trend from 0.64 in 1991 to 0.74 in 2005.

27

It is recommended to use either site-specific PR values or a default value of 75 % for rooftop and
80% for ground-mount latitude optimal installations [20]. (International Standard IEC 61724 for
definition of performance ratio.) The others important parameter are given blow
Capacity factor (CF): The capacity factor (CF) is defined as the ratio of the actual annual
energy output (, ) of the PV system to the amount of energy the PV system would generate
fit operates at full rated power (PPV, rated) for 24h per day for year and is given as
CF=

EAC,a

PPV,rated

8760

A system ran at its full capacity for an entire year, the capacity factor would be 100% during that
year. Solar PV generates power only when the sun is available; their capacity factors are reduced
because of evening, cloudy, and other low-light periods. The capacity factor of PV systems is
also reduced by any necessary downtime (e.g., for maintenance), which is also the case for other
generation technologies.
Variations in the sun's angle that are due to the season and time of day reduce the capacity factor
of fixed-orientation PV systems. (Electricity generation is maximized when the modules are
normal to the incident sunlight.) This problem can be resolve by incorporating one- or two-axis
solar tracking systems. (Rotate the modules to capture more normal sunlight exposure than is
possible with stationary modules.). Figure 6 shows the effect of insolation and use of tracking
systems on PV capacity factors. Standalone SPV System

Figure 5: PV capacity factors varying by insulation and use of tracking systems

(Source : EERE 2008 Solar Technologies Market Report)

28

System efficiency: Monthly system efficiency (sys,m ) is defined as the ratio of the energy

generated (EAC,D ) to the incident irradiance (Ht ) at the module area (Aa ) given as
sys,m =

EAC,D
Aa
Ht

These performance parameters provide the overall system performance with respect to the
energy production, solar resource, and overall effect of system losses.
In addition to the above, simulation based performance analysis would also be carried for past
data and for the data collected during in- field assessment by using standard simulation tools
such as PVsyst, Energy quest etc.

29

11. References:
[1]

BSI, Photovoltaic system performance monitoring -Guidelines for measurement , data

exchange and analysis, 1998.

[2]

C. Radue and E. E. Van Dyk, Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells A comparison of
degradation in three amorphous silicon PV module technologies, Solar Energy Materials
and Solar Cells, vol. 94, no. 3, pp. 617622, 2010.

[3]

Quintana, M.A.; King, D.L.; McMahon, T.J.; Osterwald, C.R., "Commonly observed
degradation in field-aged photovoltaic modules," Photovoltaic Specialists Conference,
2002.Conference Record of the Twenty-Ninth IEEE , vol., no., pp.1436,1439,19-24 May
2002 doi: 10.1109/PVSC.2002.1190879

[4]

D. C. Jordan and S. R. Kurtz, Photovoltaic Degradation Rates An Analytical Review,

Journal Article :NREL/JA-5200-51664, June, 2012.

[5]

Meyer, E.L.; Ernest van Dyk, E., "Assessing the reliability and degradation of
photovoltaic module performance parameters," Reliability, IEEE Transactions on , vol.53,
no.1, pp.83,92, March 2004 ,doi: 10.1109/TR.2004.824831

[6]

F. Breu, S. Guggenbichler, and J. Wollmann, Degradation Of Crystalline Silicon

Modules: A Case Study On 785 Samples After Two Years Under Operation, 26 th
European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition, 2008, pp. 35003503.

[7]

Reis, A. M.; Coleman, N. T.; Marshall, M. W.; Lehman, P.A.; Chamberlin, C. E.,
"Comparison of PV module performance before and after 11-years of field
exposure," Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 2002. Conference Record of the TwentyNinth
IEEE ,
vol.,
no.,
pp.1432,1435,
19-24
May
2002
doi: 10.1109/PVSC.2002.1190878

[8]

C. R. Osterwald, a. Anderberg, S. Rummel, and L. Ottoson, Degradation analysis of

weathered crystalline-silicon PV modules, Conference Record of the Twenty-Ninth IEEE
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 2002., pp. 13921395.

[9]

Adelstein, J.; Sekulic, B., "Performance and reliability of a 1-kW amorphous silicon
photovoltaic roofing system," Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 2005. Conference
Record of the Thirty-first IEEE , vol., no., pp.1627,1630, 3-7 Jan. 2005 ,doi:
10.1109/PVSC.2005.1488457

[10]

B. Marion, J. Cueto, P. Mcnutt, and D. Rose, Performance Summary for the First Solar
CdTe 1-kW System, NREL/CP-520-30942, pp. 14, October , 2001.

30

[11]

J. Schallenberg-Rodrguez, Photovoltaic techno-economical potential on roofs in regions

and islands: The case of the Canary Islands. Methodological review and methodology
proposal, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 20, pp. 219239, Apr. 2013.

[12]

H. C. Erik Alsema, Daniel Fraile et al Methodology Guidelines on Life Cycle

Assessment of Photovoltaic Electricity Report IEA-PVPS T12-01:2009, 2009.

[13]

V. Sharma and S. S. Chandel, Performance and degradation analysis for long term
reliability of solar photovoltaic systems: A review, Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Reviews, vol. 27, pp. 753767, Nov. 2013.

[14]

Z. M. Salameh and F. Dagher, Step-down maximum power point tracker for photovoltaic
systems, Solar Energy ,vol. 46, no. 5, pp. 279282, 1991.

[15] Mismatch effect in solar PV System

http://pveducation.org/pvcdrom/modules/mismatch-effects ( Accessed May, 2013)
[16]

Knoll,B.; Kreutzmann, A Market survey on grid inverters 2008, Photon international

,pp.104-111, 2008

[17]

Temp effect on SPV out put http://pveducation.org/pvcdrom/solar-cell

operation/effect-of-temperature (Accessed May ,2013)

[18]

Jewell, W.T.; Unruh, T.D., "Limits on cloud-induced fluctuation in photovoltaic

generation," Energy Conversion, IEEE Transactions on , vol.5, no.1, pp.8,14, Mar 1990,
doi: 10.1109/60.50805

[19]

Nguyen, D.D.; Lehman, B., "Modeling and Simulation of Solar PV Arrays under
Changing Illumination Conditions," Computers in Power Electronics, 2006. COMPEL
'06. IEEE Workshops on , vol., no., pp.295,299, 16-19 July 2006
doi: 10.1109/COMPEL.2006.305629

[20]

Mason J. M., Fthenakis V. M., Hansen T. and Kim H. C. Energy Pay-Back and Life
Cycle CO2 Emissions of the BOS in an Optimized 3.5 MW PV Installation. In: Progress
in Photovoltaics Research and Applications, 14, pp. 179-190. (2006)

[21]

Energy efficiency & Renewable energy 2008 Solar Technologies Market Report, 2010

31