Energies, Vol. 18, Pages 5279: Analysis of Real and Simulated Energy Produced by a Photovoltaic Installations Located in Poland

Energies, Vol. 18, Pages 5279: Analysis of Real and Simulated Energy Produced by a Photovoltaic Installations Located in Poland

Energies doi: 10.3390/en18195279

Authors:
Ewa Hołota
Anna Życzyńska
Grzegorz Dyś

In recent years, the amount of electricity produced by photovoltaic systems in Poland has increased significantly. This paper presents an evaluation of commercial software (PVGIS 5.3, ENERAD, and PVGIS 24) used for simulating energy produced by four photovoltaic installations. The results of the simulation were compared with the real energy production. The installations differ in terms of panel orientation (S, SE, SE-NW), tilt angle (12°, 25°, 37°) and location (roof- or ground-mounted). The average annual electricity production per 1 kW of module power for each installation was as follows: PV1—1104 kWh·kW−1, PV2—1169 kWh·kW−1, PV3—927 kWh·kW−1, and PV4—831 kWh·kW−1. The highest values were recorded for ground-mounted installations facing south. Simulations carried out using computer programs show differences between simulated and real electricity production values of 35–41% for the ENERAD software, 3–13% for the PVGIS 5.3 software, and 3–32% for the PVGIS 24 software. The most accurate forecasts were obtained for the PV2 system in the PVGIS 24 software (MPE 3%, RMSE 12%), and the most unfavorable for the same installation in the ENERAD software (MPE 41%, RMSE 48%).