Performance Study of Various PV Module Technologies in Desert Conditions

The performance degradation of 31 different types of PV modules continuously measured for more than 1 year in desert condition of Dubai, UAE has been reported. Statistical decomposition based on LOWESS is applied to six modules which had two years of data while linear regression was used for the rest of the modules which had less than two years' data. The average annual degradation rates for BF c-Si (Bifacial crystalline Si) module (1.%/yr) and mc-Si (1.25%/yr) is much higher compared to the other four mc-Si modules studied based on LOWESS smoothing. It was found that the monocrystalline silicon modules showed almost no degradation, while the multicrystalline silicon modules degradation rate varied from 0.34% to 6.36% per year based on wc-PR (weather-corrected performance ratio). The CdTe modules showed high degradation rate of 2.4% per year, whereas CIGS modules showed less than 1% per year.