Visualization of operational performance of grid-connected PV systems in selected European countries

In this paper we will update our 2011–2013 study on the analyses of operational performance of grid connected residential PV systems in the Netherlands and other European countries. We focus on comparing Annual System Yield data from small and medium size installations. If irradiance data is available, Performance Ratio data are compared as well. We employ web scraping techniques to collect a large number (∼20,000) of systems with detailed yield data at high time resolution (5–15 minutes). Results for the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France and Italy show that yields were 1–5% higher than the previous years. We further used geographical information system (GIS) software to visualize yield and performance ratio in color-coded maps, which greatly facilitate assessment of performance for large amount of geographically scattered systems.