CPVIndia – Energy yield forecasting with PVsyst Free

In this work first results of the CPVIndia project are presented. In this project a 53 kW CPV power plant has been partly installed in Greater Noida, India together with a test facility for single (C)PV modules. The test facility enables a long term ambient conditions data logging which allows for testing of energy yield forecasting models in India. The CPV module technologies investigated in this project are AZUR C3PV and BSQ D280. For this reason the power plant consists of each two CPV systems equipped with AZUR SPACE Solar Power and with BSQ SOLAR CPV modules. First results in this project are the creation and testing of PVsyst input parameter files (PAN-files). These PAN-files have been derived from one year of I-V and ambient conditions recording performed in Freiburg, Germany using one BSQ and one AZUR CPV module. The main parameters used for the PAN-files have been derived from applying the IEC 62670-3 power rating procedure and by fitting a given equation for the so called ‘CPV Utilization Factors’ (UF). The UFs implement the dependency of the CPV module power output on spectral irradiance and lens temperature into the energy yield forecasting software PVsyst. The PAN-files created in this work have been tested using the outdoor I-V and ambient conditions data. Agreements of -2.3 % for the AZUR module and of +0.5 % for the BSQ module have been found in this manner.