PERFORMANCE RATIO OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy is the most feasible renewable energy source for electricity generation in Singapore. As Singapore pushes for broader deployment of solar PV installations, the performance of operational solar PV system in Singapore must be studied. The performance parameters used in this study is, according to the IEC61724-1 standards. The performance of solar PV systems is directly linked to the amount of electricity it produces and should be an essential consideration for the system owner. The performance should be similar to the system integrator's claims. Similarly, monitoring of the system's performance throughout the system's operational life span, ensures that the system is operating optimally. Solar PV system typically has a life span of about 25 years, and performance is bound to degrade over time. However, a high degradation rate will significantly reduce electricity production and is an economical cost to the system owner.

In this study, the performance of 20 solar PV systems was studied with data obtained from the National Solar Repository of Singapore publicly-available database. It was found that the PV module's tilt angle and the PV technology could have effects on PV systems performance. The results show that the tilt angle of 10° achieved the most optimal performance. Amorphous and micromorph technology surprisingly has a better performance than silicon technology. However, there was no significant difference in performance for PV systems with different orientations. Overall, the first-year performance of the 20 systems is about or above 70%, except for one system.