Performance loss rates of grid-connected photovoltaic technologies in warm climates

ABSTRACT With the current uptake and market penetration of different technology photovoltaics (PV), important questions arise regarding their lifetime power decline and degradation. Another important consideration is the influence of different climatic conditions on the exhibited degradation rates, with warmer operating conditions theoretically affecting module components to a higher extent compared to lower temperatures. The purpose of this paper is to present a comparison of the annual performance loss rates of different photovoltaic (PV) systems, ranging from mono-crystalline silicon (mono-c-Si) to multi-crystalline silicon (multi-c-Si) and thin-film technologies, installed in Cyprus over a period of five years. The results of the performance loss rate investigation showed that the mono-c-Si and multi-c-Si systems exhibited average annual performance loss rates that were lower than the 1 %/year stated by most PV module manufactures. Conversely, the average annual performance loss rate of the thin-film systems was -1.78 %/year.