Performance Monitoring of Different PV Technologies at a PV Field in Northern Italy

This paper describes the details of the new multi-technology ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) field installed at the Airport of Bolzano Dolomiti (ABD) in the Italian Alps. The plant, owned by ABD and developed with a co-financing of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), is divided into two main parts: a 662 kW commercial installation, mounting 8538 CdTe modules First Solar 277, and a 62 kW experimental installation, mounting 24 different types of modules, divided into 39 groups ranging between 1 and 2 kW each. In this experimental installation the modules are mounted on fixed racks, as well as on mono-axial and bi-axial active trackers. EURAC Research is the scientific responsible of this test facility and follows the monitoring and test activities to evaluate the performance and the lifetime degradation of the modules. The aim of the monitoring activity is to allow a better understanding of module loss mechanisms for each technology and evaluating the performance in the alpine climatic conditions. The PV modules are evaluated in relationship to meteo data from an on-site station, counting a sensor for ambient temperature, an anemometer, a pyrheliometer, three pyranometers, an albedometer and also a sun photometer which allows evaluating the influence given by aerosols, ozone and vapors in the atmosphere to the irradiance. PV reference cells are also used, mounted horizontally, on the module plane, and on the two trackers. The PV plant has been connected to the MV network on August 10, 2010, and it is presently in course of approval by GSE (Gestore Servizi Energetici) for the incentive scheme in force. Monitoring results can be presently shown only for a couple of days for a limited number of groups.