Effect of meteorological conditions on the performance of crystalline photovoltaic modules

The Virginia Integrated Solar Test Arrays (VISTA) facility near Richmond consists of three crystalline solar photovoltaic arrays. Field A consists of 25 kW (DC) of polycrystalline arrays with two-axis tracking capability. Field B is identical to field A except it has no tracking capability. Field C consists of 25 kW (DC) of single-crystal arrays with no trackers. The comparative analysis performed using the VISTA and Richmond and Dulles airport data provides significant insight into the causes of uneven performances of fields B and C, which have the identical rated capacity. On the basis of the analysis performed so far, it appears that meteorological conditions affect the performance of single-crystal and polycrystalline modules differently. As partly cloudy and hazy days are more prevalent in Virginia, it is observed that the polycrystalline module (field B) has had a better overall energy production record during the year