Analysis of factors influencing the annual energy production of photovoltaic systems

The most relevant basis for designing photovoltaic systems is their annual energy production, which is also the best metric for monitoring their long-term performance. An accurate array performance model based on established testing procedures is required to confidently predict energy available from the array. This model, coupled with the performance characteristics of other balance-of-system components, provides the tool necessary to calculate expected system performance and to compare actual versus expected energy production. Using such a tool, this paper quantifies the effect of the primary factors influencing the DC-energy available from different photovoltaic module technologies, and contrasts these influences with other system-level factors that often result in significantly less AC-energy delivered to the load than the array is capable of providing. Annual as well as seasonal energy production is discussed in the context of both grid-tied and stand-alone photovoltaic systems.