Performance evaluation of different solar photovoltaic technologies in Libya

Although Libya has a massive potential of renewable energy (RE) resources particularly solar energy, the country suffers from a shortage of electrical energy and experiences frequent blackouts. The dominant preventive action taken by the grid operator is to shed loads. The main two reasons for the limited RE projects are the highly subsidized electricity tariff and the absence of clear energy legislation. As a solution for the electrical energy deficit, this paper proposes the grid-connected photovoltaic (GCPV) power systems to be installed as distributed generations. The case study is based on a 1 MWp GCPV system designed for Benina International Airport (BIA) in Benghazi. Besides satisfying the electrical demand of the airport, the system can also export its energy directly to the electrical grid where the residential and commercial loads. The analysis was carried out by using PVSyst software. Four PV technologies were simulated for the installation for the sake of performance comparison under Benghazi's weather condition. It was concluded that cadmium telluride (CdTe) outperforms other technologies with 4.79 kWh/kWp/day of produced energy and a performance ratio (PR) of 78.11%. The project can be a successful showcase clean energy producer and a business model which can encourage the individuals and the governmental utilities to implement the solar PV technology for both electricity demand satisfaction as well as a profitable investment.