Yield and efficiency study of a 35.2 kWp roof mount grid-connected solar PV power plant in tribal region of Gujarat

RESEARCH PAPER

Abstract

In India, rooftops and unused land are increasingly being utilized for solar photovoltaic (PV) panel installations to produce electricity. A notable example is the 35.2 kWp grid-connected solar PV power plant installed on the rooftop of the College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology (CAET) at Navsari Agricultural University (NAU), Dediapada (located at 21.66°N latitude and 73.59°E longitude) in May 2018. Positioned at a 20° tilt on the top floor, approximately 10m above ground, this initiative aims to assess the performance and efficiency of the solar PV system in the tribal region of Gujarat. The study covers the system's performance from January 2019 to December 2022, with all generated electricity supplied to the state grid. Key parameters evaluated include final yield, reference yield, array yield, system losses, array capture losses, cell temperature losses, PV module efficiency, system efficiency, inverter efficiency, performance ratio, and capacity factor. Over the monitoring period, the system generated a total of 202.3 MWh of energy, achieving a PV module efficiency of 12%, an inverter efficiency of 95%, and a performance ratio of 0.7.