Investigation of Near Shading Losses in Photovoltaic Systems with PVsyst Software

Abstract

Shading in photovoltaic systems is known to cause serious energy losses. However, predicting how much shading photovoltaic systems in living spaces will experience throughout the year and the resulting energy loss is not easy. In this study, the effects of near shading on the system efficiency of photovoltaic systems have been investigated with PVsyst software. Instead of standard shading elements, a mosque with a complex architecture was chosen to test the drawing capabilities of the software. A 20 kWp PV power plant is assumed to be installed in three different locations in the courtyard of the mosque. In Scenario-1, 2, and 3, the modules are located in the west, east, and north directions of the mosque, respectively. The annual energy production values obtained in these scenarios have been compared with the reference scenario without shading. According to the results, the annual production in the scenario without near shading was realized as 28.84 kWh. In Scenario-1, 2, and 3, the annual production was 20.43 kWh, 21.46 kWh, and 19.05 kWh, respectively. In the content of the study, sample geometries of shading for all scenarios are presented comparatively for critical dates. In addition, monthly energy production, performance ratio values, and loss diagrams have been presented comparatively.

Keywords

• PVsyst software
• shading losses
• PV efficiency
• renewable energy

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