Individual yield nowcasting for residential PV systems

Due to the inherent uncertainty in photovoltaic (PV) energy generation, an accurate power forecasting is essential to ensure a reliable operation of PV systems and a safe electric grid. Machine learning (ML) techniques have gained popularity on the development of this task due to its increased accuracy. Most literature, however, focuses only...

Mapping the photovoltaic potential of the roads including the effect of traffic

After developing the methodology, we applied it to the case of the Netherlands highways. We show that the average irradiation on the Dutch highway network is around 880 kWh/m2/y, 35% less than the potential of an optimally tilted conventional PV system in the south of the Netherlands. Covering the entire 1600 km of the Dutch highways network...

Study on the Effect of Irradiance Variability on the Efficiency of the Perturb-and-Observe Maximum Power Point Tracking Algorithm

Irradiance variability is one of the main challenges for using photovoltaic energy. This variability affects the operation of maximum power point trackers (MPPT) causing energy losses. The logic of the Perturb-and-Observe MPPT algorithm is particularly sensitive to quick irradiance changes. We quantified the existing relation between irradiance...

Introducing a comprehensive physics-based modelling framework for tandem and other PV systems

We introduce a novel simulation tool capable of calculating the energy yield of a PV system based on its fundamental material properties and using self-consistent models. Thus, our simulation model can operate without measurements of a PV device. It combines wave and ray optics and a dedicated semiconductor simulation to model the...

Effect of Climate on Photovoltaic Yield Prediction Using Machine Learning Models

Machine learning is arising as a major solution for the photovoltaic (PV) power prediction. Despite the abundant literature, the effect of climate on yield predictions using machine learning is unknown. This work aims to find climatic trends by predicting the power of 48 PV systems around the world, equally divided into four climates. An...

A Comprehensive Workflow for High Resolution 3D Solar Photovoltaic Potential Mapping in Dense Urban Environment: A Case Study on Campus of Delft University of Technology

Photovoltaic (PV) technology is the most promising renewable energy source to be integrated on urban building surfaces. Modeling and simulating urban PV systems pose more challenges than the conventional ones installed in open field due to rich urban morphology. Herein, a comprehensive workflow to estimate urban solar PV potential is...

A quick-scan method to assess photovoltaic rooftop potential based on aerial imagery and LiDAR

A quick-scan yield prediction method has been developed to assess rooftop photovoltaic (PV) potential. The method has three main parts. For each roof, first (i) virtual 3D roof segments were reconstructed using aerial imagery, then, (ii) PV modules were automatically fitted onto roof segments using a fitting algorithm and finally, (iii) expected...

Accurate Soiling Ratio Determination with Incident Angle Modifier for PV Modules

The deposition of dust, soil, and microfibers resulting from the surroundings, as well as the growth of minute pollens like moss and fungi, contributes toward photovoltaic (PV) module soiling. Soiling is a widely recognized factor that significantly reduces the power production by acting as a barrier for effective light absorption by the...

A simplified skyline-based method for estimating the annual solar energy potential in urban environments

Architects, engineers and urban planners have today at their disposal several tools for simulating the energy yield of photovoltaic systems. These tools are based on mathematical models that perform repetitive calculations to determine the annual irradiation received by solar panels; hence when photovoltaic systems are installed in complex...

Fast and accurate ray-casting-based view factor estimation method for complex geometries

The concept of view factor has various applications in engineering problems, ranging from heat management to bifacial photovoltaics. Analytical solutions for view factor calculations are difficult to obtain and normally numerical methods are used. For complex geometries, when several surfaces are arbitrarily arranged in a threedimensional...

Quantification of Shading Tolerability for Photovoltaic Modules

Despite several decades of research in the field of photovoltaic (PV) systems, shading tolerance has still not been properly addressed. PV modules are influenced by shading concerning many factors, such as number and configuration of cells in the module, electrical and thermal characteristics of the cells, number and type of bypass circuits,...