Manara - Qatar Research Repository
Browse

Performance Improvement Techniques for Photovoltaic Systems in Qatar: Results of First year of Outdoor Exposure

Download (1.06 MB)
journal contribution
submitted on 2024-09-18, 05:19 and posted on 2024-09-18, 05:30 authored by Diego Martinez-Plaza, Amir Abdallah, Benjamin W. Figgis, Talha Mirza

The state of Qatar has established firm renewable energy deployment targets for the next decade, using primarily solar photovoltaic technologies. Qatar, in the Arabian Peninsula, is in the MENA Region, where the solar resource is fairly abundant, but local environmental conditions are challenging, particularly, high ambient temperatures all-year round, a dusty atmosphere due to high aerosol content, and water scarcity, which impact negatively on PV system performance and reliability. The Solar Test Facility (STF) at the Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) was founded in 2012 for the main purpose of contributing to the achievement of Qatar's sustainable energy technology deployment targets. STF provides scientific and technical capabilities for testing and evaluation of solar technologies under the specific local climate conditions. This paper presents the results of outdoor exposure of a specific model of multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) photovoltaic (PV) modules after their first complete year of operation at STF. The impact of module cleaning frequency, use of commercial anti- soiling coatings and module mounting on either fixed, one-axis-tracking or two-axis-tracking systems was studied. These results give some indication of the next steps to be taken and the solutions that would eventually work for the improvement of both the energy yield and the durability of PV systems deployed in this region.

Other Information

Published in: Energy Procedia
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
See article on publisher's website: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2015.07.054

Additional institutions affiliated with: Green Gulf Incorporated

History

Language

  • English

Publisher

Elsevier

Publication Year

  • 2015

License statement

This Item is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Institution affiliated with

  • Hamad Bin Khalifa University
  • Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute - HBKU

Geographic coverage

Qatar

Usage metrics

    Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute - HBKU

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC