Performance assessment and useful solar radiation analysis of a grid-connected photovoltaic plant in Türkiye
The installed capacities of photovoltaic solar power plants are increasing day by day. These types of energy plants, which can be installed either as rooftop systems or solar farms, continue to supply energy either grid-connected or off-grid. In this study, a performance analysis is presented for a...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Case Studies in Thermal Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25008251 |
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| Summary: | The installed capacities of photovoltaic solar power plants are increasing day by day. These types of energy plants, which can be installed either as rooftop systems or solar farms, continue to supply energy either grid-connected or off-grid. In this study, a performance analysis is presented for a photovoltaic solar farm located in Bursa, in the northwestern part of Türkiye, with an installed capacity of 7 MW, which has been supplying energy to the grid since 2017. The methodology of the study is based on interpreting the actual energy values produced by the power plant and conducting a performance analysis accordingly. A new approach was introduced for the performance analysis, in which the useful radiation value was calculated and compared with global radiation values. In this way, the study aimed to demonstrate the climatic impact on the region using measurable data. The results of the study include the plant's production, efficiency, and comparative metrics. For the location of the plant, the minimum global solar radiation value has been reported as 1.3 kW h/m2.day for the month of December, while the maximum solar radiation value for the region has been recorded as 6.14 kW h/m2.day for the month of June. The analysis results are prepared based on the plant's production data from the last five years (2020–2024), focusing on capacity factor and useful radiation values. According to the obtained results, the maximum production value of the plant was achieved in the most recent production year, reaching an annual energy generation of 10.82 GW h and a capacity factor of 17.6 %. Furthermore, the study evaluates the hypothesis that the region may be experiencing milder winters. The analysis shows that in January, February, April, August, October, and November of 2024, the useful radiation values utilized by the plant were higher than the global radiation values reported for the region. Since four out of these six months belong to the autumn and winter seasons, it suggests that winters in the region have become warmer. In the five-year production period, it was observed that the useful radiation values for 20 winter months exceeded the global radiation values. |
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| ISSN: | 2214-157X |