Performance Assessment of an On-Grid 178.

08kW
Photovoltaic System Islamabad, Pakistan
Syeda Mehwish Hina Bukhari*, Parvez Akhter Aamir Mehmood
Center for Advance Studies in Energy Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering
National University of Sciences and Technology, Management, City University of Hong Kong,
Islamabad-44000, Pakistan Tat Chee Avenue, Hong Kong
{*13ESEsmehwish, akhterpdr}@casen.nust.edu.pk aamir.mehmood08@gmail.com
amehmood3@cityu.edu.hk

Abstract—It is anticipated that renewable energy will meet a 14,800 MW while demand remained 19,600 MW. To fulfill
considerable fraction of future energy demands of Pakistan. his demand, scheduled load shedding is done. In 2001, the
Since solar energy is abundant in most parts of the country, on share of power sector in consuming petroleum products was
grid solar PV systems are becoming increasingly important.
Electric energy provided by the solar power plant to the grid
37.8% which increased to 40.9% due to increase in number of
depends upon seasonal variation of the solar resource, losses by electricity consumers. Government of Pakistan is trying to
temperature changes, system losses and losses due to grid shift its energy policy from non-renewable energy technology
conditions. This paper presents the monitoring result of a 178.08 to renewable energy technology. Different forms of renewable
kW grid connected photovoltaic system installed in Pakistan resources are used globally. In Pakistan many research centers
engineering commission ,Islamabad (Longitude 73.0667° & are working on biofuel, biomass, wind, hydel and on PV cells.
Latitude E 33.7167° N).System was monitored between Jan 2013
to Dec 2013. Daily solar irradiation, ambient temperature, wind
speed, daily power generation were measured and analyzed
during this monitoring period. Performance ratio manually
calculated from the recorded data is 0.63. Furthermore, the PV
performance was studied by performance ratio variation with
solar inclined irradiation. Average monthly performance ratio
was found to be decreasing with increasing ambient temperature
and solar inclined irradiation. A decreasing trend in AC power
was seen with rise in temperature and conversion losses.

Keywords—AC Power Generation, Grid connected,

Performance Ratio, Photo voltaic System.

I. INTRODUCTION Fig. 1. Total Installed capacities of PV systems of Different countries [3]

The world currently relies a lot on fossil fuels, coal, natural
gas and oil for power generation. These resources are non-
renewable and will eventually diminish, becoming too
expensive and too environmentally damaging to recover [1].
Among renewable energy resources, solar energy is the most
prominent renewable energy source. As they are environmental
friendly and do not contribute to greenhouse gases. Total
global installed capacity of on grid PV systems was
15GW,22GW,38GW in 2008,2009 and 2010 respectively [2].
According to Bikash Kumar Sahu, the highest solar PV
capacity countries are Germany, Italy, USA, China, Japan,
Spain, France, Belgium, Australia and Czech Republic with
installed capacities 7.6 GW, 3.6 GW, 3.3 GW, 3.5 GW, 1.7
GW, 0.2 GW, 1.1 GW, 0.6 GW, 1 GW and 0.1 GW,
respectively [3].
Hadeed Ahmed [4] showed that import of PV panels in
Pakistan increased in past five years due to exemption of tax.
This paper focuses on the performance and on the power
production of an already installed on-grid PV system located in
Islamabad. To improve the efficiency as well as cost
effectiveness of future PV systems, it is important to analyze
the performance of already installed PV systems. This will help
in designing more advanced applications of photovoltaic
systems in future and will provide future strategy and
guidelines for policy makers, researchers, industry, and market.
Performance of PV systems mainly depends upon incident
irradiation, ambient temperature and thermal characteristic of
the PV panels.

II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PV SYSTEM INSTALLED AT

Pakistan is facing severe energy crises due to change in
ISLAMABAD
international oil market and fluctuating prices of furnace oil
and natural gas. Electricity shortfall across the country has On May 29,2012 Pakistan first ever on-grid photovoltaic
reached up to 4,800 MW. Power generation was recorded at solar power plant was commissioned of installed capacity
978-1-5090-0436-2/15/$31.00 2015 IEEE
978-1-5090-0436-2/15/$31.00 ©2015 IEEE
178.08 kW in parking area opposite to PEC complex Ataturk TABLE II: PV MODULE SPECIFICATIONS
Avenue Islamabad. The project titled “Introduction of clean
energy by solar electricity generation system was aided by No. of Panel/module 848 PV Solar Panel
Japan international cooperation agency (JICA).The average No. of Solar Cell in each module 72 cells
daily insolation rate in Pakistan is 5.3 kWh/m² and average Type of Module Monocrystalline
Module Surface Area 1.28296 m2
solar radiations average is 19 MJ/m2/yr. Dimension of each module 1.58m x 0.812m x
0.035m
Total Module Area 1088 m2
Total Land Area Used 2000 m2
Panel Frame Aluminum
Wight of one Module 15 kg
Efficiency of module 16.4 %
Max. Power 210W +10% and -5%
Voltage at Max. Power 41.3V ±10%
Current at Pmax 5.09 A
Open circuit Voltage (Voc) 50.9 ± 10%
Short Circuit Current (Isc) 5.57A
Max System Open Circuit Voltage 600V DC

2) PV Array
Fig. 2. Year wise Import of Solar Panels In Pakistan [4]
An interconnected system of PV modules that function as a
A. Site Details single electricity-producing unit is PV array. PV system
having more than one group of PV modules, then each group
PEC PV system installed in Islamabad .General description is called as a subarray. Then total of all sub-arrays comprise
of the site is mentioned below: complete PV array. There are 3 arrays and each consists of 7
subarrays.
TABLE I: GENERAL SITE DESCRIPTION
TABLE III: PV ARRAY DESPCRIPTION
Area Covered by Islamabad 906 km2 Number of arrays 3
Longitude and Latitude of Place 73.0667° E Number of sub arrays 7
33.7167° N Module in a String 8
Maximum ambient temperature 46.6 degree Celsius Total No. of strings 106
Minimum ambient temperature 3.9 degree Celsius Module in sub arrays (130 x 5sets) + (128 x 1set) + (70x1 set)
Maximum wind speed 20.58 m/s (40 Knots) = 848 Modules
Average humidity 88% PV Capacity of each Array:
Average daily Solar Insolation 5.24 kW/m2/day Output Power Array-I 27.30kW x 5set = 136.50kW
Altitude 750 meters Output Power Array-II 26.88kW x 1set = 26.88kW
1 ton/ft2 Output Power Array-III 14.7kW x1 set = 14.7kW
Total Installed Capacity 136.50kW + 26.88kW + 14.7kW =
178.08 kW

3) Power Conditioning System

A Power Conditioning System is considered a feasible

solution for convalescing the quality and the reliability of the
electric energy supply and do multiple tasks i.e.

• Reactive power compensation

Fig. 3. PEC PV Solar PV System
B. Technical Specifications
1) Solar Panel/ PV Modules
All modules contain cells. Some cells are round or square,
while thin film PV modules may have long narrow cells. One
Silicon cell can only produce 0.5V; hence 36 cells are
connected to charge 12V batteries. A group of PV cells
connected in series and/or parallel to form a module,
encapsulated in an environmentally protective lamination. It
consists of 848 PV solar modules and each comprises of 72
solar cells.
• Current harmonic diminution
• Smoothing of pulsating loads
For Photovoltaic system following are used:
• A three phase, single-stage converter, suitable for
large photovoltaic power plants.
• A single phase, single-stage converter, suitable for
small photovoltaic generation systems
In this system three phase, single-stage converter is used.
There are total 18 units of Power conditioners installed
outdoor cubicle each of 10kW capacity. Following are the
specifications of the power conditioning system installed in
this system.
 TABLE IV: SPECIFICATIONS OF POWER CONDITIONING SYSTEM 5) Data collecting System

Capacity of each unit
Power Conditioner Model
Manufacturer Sanyo Denki Co.Ltd,Japan
Rated Input Voltage
Input operating Voltage Range
Efficiency
Max Allowable input Voltage
Max Current
MPPT range
Output Electrical System
Rated output Voltage
Rated Freq
Power Factor
Power control
It protects PV system from following faults:
• Gride over voltage (OV)
• Gride under voltage (UV)
• Gride over/ under frequency
• Voltage rise suppression
• Phase rotation error
• DC over voltage
• DC under voltage
• Passive type device detection
4) Junction box
10kW For monitoring weather data, there are 2 sets of
P73E
pyranometer are installed in horizontal and incline to record
300 VDC irradiation level. One set of thermometer is also installed to
DC 200V-500V measure the ambient temperature. Wind speed and direction is
92% calculated by 1 set of anemometer. Data logger is also
DC 500V
DC 45A installed to measure the following parameters:
200-450V DC
3 phase, 3-wire From • DC Input voltage and current of each PCs unit
Power conditioner
AC 202V • Total DC power generated by PV array
50Hz • AC output voltage, AC output current ,AC output
>0.95
MPP Tracker
power of each (60kW) unit PCs
• Frequency (Hz)
• Total AC power supplied to 400V distribution panel
• Reduction amount of CO2 (kg/day)
• Temperature inside outdoor cubicle
6) Insulating Transformer
Insulating Transformer of installed capacity 180kVA
insulates and transfers AC power to 400V AC for grid
connection with efficiency above 97%.
III. MONITORING RESULTS
A. Metrological Data Analysis

An electrical junction box is containers for electrical
connections, which conceals them from sight and prevent
tampering. Multiple modules are connected through a junction
box which provides protection from overvoltage, surges and
from lightning. In this PV system metallic junction box is used
which combine groups of modules into independent charging
sub-arrays that is wired into the controller. Following are the
main functions performing by junction boxes:
Performance of systems depends on a variety of conditions
systems depends on a variety of conditions and parameters.
Some of these parameters are convenient and controllable but
some are not in the domain of human control. These can be
further categorized into design & construction phase and the
operating & maintenance phase. The metrological parameters
like global solar radiation, wind speed, and ambient
temperature, are recorded as average of every 10 min interval
by pyranometer, anemometer and thermometer respectively.

• Provide arrangement for disconnection for each group

• Provide a test point for each sub-array for fault
identification
• Provide group isolation

Current ratings of junction boxes are suitable with adequate

safety factor to interconnect the solar PV array.

There are 6 Bypass diodes inside the junction boxes which

prevent back flow of current.These diodes are connected in
reverse bias and have no effect on output.6 Surge protection
devices one for each string are installed. Surge protection Fig. 4. Monthly Solar Inclined Irradiation
device (SPD) box is also installed inside outdoor cubicle.
There are total 18 Surge protection devices installed. Fig. 4 shows monthly average solar inclined irradiation on
PV modules/panels measured from January 2013 to December
TABLE V: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION OF SURGE PROTECTION DEVICE 2013.The monthly average daily solar irradiation varies from
3.46 kWh/m2 in January to 2.98 kWh/m2 in December.
Manufacturer M-system Co.Ltd, Japan
Annual total measured long term irradiation is measured in
Max. Continuous operating Voltage 600DC May and short term irradiation is measured in December.
Discharge Voltage 600V DC Maximum temperature recorded is 29.35 °C in June and
Max. Surge Voltage 2.5kV minimum is 9.54 °C in January.
Discharge Current 1 max-8micro sec
1 nominal-20 micro-sec Variation of PV module temperatures is represented in Fig
Insulation Resistance 100 M ohm at 500V DC 5. PV module temperature varies as the ambient temperature
varies. Maximum rise in PV module temperature is recorded in
June 35.9 °C & minimum rises is 10°C in January.
Fig. 5. Variation in PV module Temperature as Ambient temperature Varies
B. Operational Performance
1) Energy production:
To evaluate the grid connected PV system performance
total daily and monthly energy supplied to the insulating
transformer by PV system is calculated. Total daily (EAC d) and
monthly (EAC m ) generated by PV system can be calculated as:
ሺ۳AC d ሻ ൌ σ૛૝
‫ܜ‬ୀ૚ ۳AC t (1)
ሺ۳AC m ሻ ൌ σ‫܌ۼ‬ୀ૚ ۳AC d (2)
The total energy output was calculated by measuring
energy generated by system after DC to AC conversion on 10
min intervals. Fig. 6 shows the monthly power generated by
the PV system.
Maximum power is delivered in May 608.2 kWh at 5.94
kWh/m2 of solar irradiation. In June, power delivered is
reduced due to temperature losses.
As main issue in this PV power plant is to maintain the
indoor temperature to minimum level. Hence power losses
increases as the temperature rises.
Fig. 6. Energy Production by the PV system per Month. The production
varies as the amount of accumulated in-plane irradiance onto the PV modules
per month varies.
2) Performance ratio:
The performance ratio tells how much total available solar
energy is converted into electrical energy. It is the ratio of
actual yield to the target yield. Performance ratio can be
calculated as:
୉୬ୣ୰୥୷୑ୣୟୱ୳ୣୢሺ୩୛୦ሻ
PR = (3)
୉୬ୣ୰୥୷୑୭ୢୣ୪୪ୣୢሺ୩୛୦ሻ
Since,
୩୛୦
Energy modeled = Irradiance measured on location (  మ )•
୫
Active area of panels (m2 ) • Module efficiency (η) (4)
Daily values of the irradiation are recorded from data
logger and average monthly values of irradiation are measured.
The determined irradiation value per m2 is then extrapolated to
the entire modular surface of the PV plant. Modular efficiency
was given in specification sheet for the PV plant.
PR is undoubtedly the right index for PV power plants.
However, PR also varies with environmental factors as a
second order effect. Due to higher ambient temperature in
summer, thermal loss is increased and PR is reduced in
summer. Hence in Fig. 7, PR is minimum in June 45.5% and is
maximum during Aug 71.6%. PR normalized to ambient temp
will be a better index to compare performance of PV plants at
different locations and different ambient conditions. Likewise
PR can be normalized to other weather factors.
Fig. 7. Monthly Variation of Performance Ratio as Ambient Temperature
Varies
Fig. 8 shows the effect of solar irradiation on the
performance ratio. Total average PR of the system for year
2013 is 0.63. The PR of the state-of-the-art systems is around
0.8 [5].
Fig. 8. PR vs. Inclined radiation
3) AC Power Generation
The AC output power from the inverter depends upon:
• Array power at the terminals of the inverter
• Inverter losses.
These losses are occurred due to standby power,
switching and ohmic losses in semiconductors.
Instantaneous product of the DC voltage and DC current
was measured from the data logger and plotted against the
inverter losses, AC power reduced and represented as dotted
line in fig.9. Total power generation by the system over a year
is plotted in the fig 10. Data is missing during the month of
July as shown in the figure below. And maximum AC power
is generated in March because losses due to rise in
temperature are less as compared to the AC power generation
in May. DC power is reduced due to 14% inverter losses.
[2] G. Masson, M. Rekinger, I. T. Theologitis, and M. Papoytsi,
“GLOBAL MARKET OUTLOOK for PV 2013-2017,” Eur.
Photovolt. Ind. Assoc., p. 6, 2013.
[3] B. Kumar, “A study on global solar PV energy developments and
policies with special focus on the top ten solar PV power producing
countries,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 43, pp. 621–634,
2015.
[4] H. Ahmed, A. F. Murtaza, K. E. Addoweesh, and M. Chiaberge,
“Pakistan ’ s progress in solar PV based energy generation,” Renew.
Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 47, pp. 213–217, 2015.
[5] A. Woyte, “Monitoring of photovoltaic systems: Good practices and
Systematic Analysis.”
[6] L. Ayompe, A. Duffy, S. Mccormack, and M. F. Conlon, “Measured
Performance of a 1 . 72 kW Rooftop Grid Connected Photovoltaic
System in Ireland,” vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 816–825, 2011.

Fig. 9. DC & AC Power Comparison

Fig. 10. Annual Generation by PV system

IV. CONCLUSION

Pakistan 1st 178.08kW on grid Photovoltaic system grid

connected PV system was installed and analyzed ,in order to
study the photovoltaic systems in the climatic conditions of
Pakistan. The system was monitored between January 2013to
Dec 2013 and its performance ratio is evaluated. The average
annual total energy generated is 482.98 kWh in 2013.
Performance ratio is greatly affected by ambient temperature
and overall AC power generation is effected by solar
irradiation, ambient temperature and by DC to AC conversion
losses. Hence total AC power is less than the DC input power.
Comparison the Performance ratio from this study with those
obtained from other studies in other countries revealed that the
PV system’s annually PR is nearly equal to those reported in
Germany 66%, Spain 62%, and Greece 67%.

Hence performance trend is positive. Further studies on this

network are required to identify module, inverter and wiring
losses and towards achieving PV generated energy catering to
the peak load demand.

REFERENCES

[1] M. Farhoodnea, A. Mohamed, T. Khatib, and W. Elmenreich,

“Performance evaluation and characterization of a 3-kWp grid-
connected photovoltaic system based on tropical field experimental
results: new results and comparative study,” Renew. Sustain. Energy
Rev., vol. 42, pp. 1047–1054, Feb. 2015.