Evaluating and optimizing the potential of photovoltaics in Mauritius

The scope of the study is to measure solar irradiation at a potential photovoltaic (PV) site in Mauritius and to evaluate its average monthly insolation. The solar resource data is compared to typical year solar data from Meteonorm. Solar irradiance is assessed and the average monthly insolation of the PV site has been calculated. Essential parameters required for a holistic photovoltaic system design are established and used to design PV systems using crystalline and thin film module technologies for the local PV site. The system advisor model of NREL together with typical year solar data of Mauritius is then used to evaluate the yield of the proposed systems and identify the design configurations for 1- and 2-axis PV systems that produce the optimized energy yield without sun tracking possibilities. Design configurations that can increase system´s yield by 6% for 1-axis and 2-axis technologies have been proposed.