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Measuring degradation rates of PV systems without irradiance data
Author(s) -
Cronin Alex,
Pulver Stephen,
Cormode Daniel,
Jordan Dirk,
Kurtz Sarah,
Smith Ryan
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
progress in photovoltaics: research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.286
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1099-159X
pISSN - 1062-7995
DOI - 10.1002/pip.2310
Subject(s) - irradiance , degradation (telecommunications) , photovoltaic system , environmental science , data set , solar irradiance , statistical analysis , bayesian probability , set (abstract data type) , statistics , computer science , reliability engineering , mathematics , meteorology , engineering , geography , optics , telecommunications , physics , electrical engineering , programming language
A method to report photovoltaic (PV) system degradation rates without using irradiance data is demonstrated. First, a set of relative degradation rates are determined by comparing daily AC final yields from a group of PV systems relative to the average final yield of all the PV systems. Then, the difference between relative and absolute degradation rates is estimated using a Bayesian statistical analysis. This approach is verified by comparing to methods that utilize irradiance data. This approach is significant because PV systems are often deployed without irradiance sensors, so the analysis method described here may enable measurements of degradation using data that were previously thought to be unsuitable for degradation studies. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.