TY  - JOUR
T1  - Efficiency analysis of solar power plants: The impact of temperature, soiling, and panel aging on energy generation
AU  - Dinçer, Furkan
AU  - Cutay, Ozgesu
PY  - 2025
DA  - September
Y2  - 2025
DO  - 10.58559/ijes.1622826
JF  - International Journal of Energy Studies
JO  - Int J Energy Studies
PB  - Türkiye Enerji Stratejileri ve Politikaları Araştırma Merkezi (TESPAM)
WT  - DergiPark
SN  - 2717-7513
SP  - 807
EP  - 826
VL  - 10
IS  - 3
LA  - en
AB  - In this study, a rooftop solar power plant with an electrical capacity of 13,890 kWe and 18,361 kWp was modeled using the PVsyst software simulation program. Simulated and experimental data were compared and the difference between simulated and experimental generation data was found to be only 1.55% on an annual basis, demonstrating the accuracy of the modeling approach. In order to further analyze the system’s performance, the impact of temperature, soiling, and panel aging on energy generation was evaluated as detailed. It was observed that soiling-related losses could reach up to 20% if regular cleaning was not performed, leading to an annual energy loss of 4,746 MWh, where generation decreased from 25,064 MWh at 0% soiling loss to 20,318 MWh at 20% soiling loss. Panel aging (degradation) also played a significant role, causing an annual energy generation loss of approximately 0.3% - 1%, reducing the output from 23,936 MWh at 0.3% degradation to 23,232 MWh at 0.6% degradation. Additionally, as panel temperature increased, generation efficiency decreased, with a temperature coefficient drop from -0.35 to -0.65 resulting in an annual generation loss of approximately 1,524 MWh, where output declined from 25,064 MWh to 23,540 MWh. These findings highlight the critical influence of environmental and operational factors on PV power plant performance and emphasize the importance of regular maintenance and optimized design strategies to enhance energy generation efficiency.
KW  - Photovoltaic performance
KW  - Soiling losses
KW  - Panel degradation
KW  - Temperature effect
KW  - PVsyst
CR  - [1] Abbasi MN. Optimizing photovoltaic solar systems for sustainable rural electrification. (Master thesis), Antalya Bilim University, 2024.
CR  - [2] Aldabbagh ORT. Designing a solar photovoltaic power plant by using PV system in Mosul. (Master thesis), Karabük University, 2023.
CR  - [3] Ay E. Design of grid connected and off grid photovoltaic systems on different load profiles: The case of Bartın Provincial Administration. (Master thesis), Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, 2023.
CR  - [4] Karaca B. Comparison of simulation results of a photovoltaic system designed with PVSYST VE MATLAB/Simulink programs. (Master thesis), Gazi University, 2023.
CR  - [5] Arslan M. Determination of optimum tilt and orientation angles in photovoltaic systems. (Doctoral dissertation), Selçuk University, 2023.
CR  - [6] Jalalzai N. Computer-aided design of a grid-connected photovoltaic system including storage system. (Master thesis), Kocaeli University, 2023.
CR  - [7] Emre Ö. A comparative examination of the field data and simulation data obtained from the solar power plant (photovoltaic) roof application for Isparta province. (Master thesis), Isparta University of Applied Sciences, 2023.
CR  - [8] Egemen B. Comparison of the production values of a photovoltaic power plant with the results of simulation software: The example of a solar power plant in the municipality of Erbaa. (Master thesis), Amasya University, 2023.
CR  - [9] Çınaroğlu H. Design and simulation of a photovoltaic system using pvsyst software. (Master thesis), Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University, 2023.
CR  - [10] Uysal, S. Investigation of solar energy meeting of electricity needs of a business in İstanbul province. (Master thesis), Trakya University, 2024.
CR  - [11] Şahin A. Design and analysis of a solar power plant in pvsol and pvsyst programs. (Master thesis), Yıldız Technical University, 2024.
CR  - [12] Islamov S. Determination of optimum solar panel tilt angle using two different simulation programs: The case of Azerbaijan (Master thesis). Eskişehir Technical University, 2024.
CR  - [13] Erakman Dirlik E. Analysis of production data of solar power plants in some provinces of Turkey with various software (Master thesis). Ondokuz Mayıs University, 2024.
CR  - [14] Yiğit F. Simulation of grid connected 1 MW solar power plant with PVsyst and evaluation of performance parameters (Master thesis). Necmettin Erbakan University, 2023.
CR  - [15]  Google Earth Map, https://earth.google.com/ (Accessed.17.01.2025).
CR  - [16]. Kimber A, Mitchell L, Nogradi S, Wenger H. The Effect of Soiling on Large Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Systems in California and the Southwest Region of the United States. 2006 IEEE 4th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conference, Waikoloa, HI, USA, pp. 2391-2395, 2006.
CR  - [17]. Ilse KK, Figgis BW, Werner M, Naumann V, Hagendorf C, Pöllmann H, Bagdahn J. Comprehensive analysis of soiling and cementation processes on PV modules in Qatar. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 186, pp. 309-323, 2018.
CR  - [18]. Ilse K, Khan MZ, Voicu N, Naumann V, Hagendorf C, Bagdahn J. Advanced performance testing of anti-soiling coatings – Part I: Sequential laboratory test methodology covering the physics of natural soiling processes. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 202, 110048, 2019.
CR  - [19] Huld T, Gottschalg R, Beyer HG, Topic M. Mapping the performance of PV modules, effects of module type and data averaging. Solar Energy, 84(2), 324–338, 2010.
CR  - [20] Unruh D, Meidanshahi RV, Hansen C, Manzoor S, Bertoni MI, Goodnick SM, Zimanyi GT. From Femtoseconds to Gigaseconds: The SolDeg Platform for the Performance Degradation Analysis of Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 13(27), pp. 32424-32434, 2021.
CR  - [21] Jordan DC, Kurtz SR. Photovoltaic degradation rates—an analytical review. Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, 21(1), 12-29, 2013.
CR  - [22] Jones CB, King BH, Stein JS, Fada JS, Curran AJ, French RH, Schnabel E, Koehl M, Lavrova O. Quantify photovoltaic module degradation using the loss factor model parameters. 2017 IEEE 44th Photovoltaic Specialist Conference (PVSC), Washington, DC, USA, 2017, pp. 3488-3493, 2017.
CR  - [23] Hudișteanu VS, Cherecheș NC, Țurcanu FE, Hudișteanu I, Romila C. Impact of Temperature on the Efficiency of Monocrystalline and Polycrystalline Photovoltaic Panels: A Comprehensive Experimental Analysis for Sustainable Energy Solutions. Sustainability, 16, 10566, 2024.
CR  - [24] Chander S, Purohit A, Sharma A, Arvind N, Nehra SP, Dhaka MS. A study on photovoltaic parameters of mono-crystalline silicon solar cell with cell temperature. Energy Reports, 1, 104–109, 2015.
CR  - [25] Skoplaki E, Palyvos JA. On the temperature dependence of photovoltaic module electrical performance: A review of efficiency/power correlations. Solar Energy, 83(5), 614–624, 2009.
CR  - [26] Phinikarides A, Makrides, G, Georghiou GE. Initial performance degradation of an a-Si/a-Si tandem PV array. 27th EU PVSEC, pp. 3267 - 3270, 2024.
UR  - https://doi.org/10.58559/ijes.1622826
L1  - https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/4533643
ER  -