Performance evaluation of grid connected photovoltaic pilot plant in saharan climate using experimental and numerical...

Algeria has made significant progress in developing its renewable energy capacity, particularly in utilizing solar resources to meet growing electricity demand. As part of this effort, several large-scale photovoltaic (PV) plants have been established in the southern desert regions. This study evaluates the performance of a 1.1 MW grid-connected pilot PV plant located in Ghardaia, consisting of eight subfields, six fixed and two equipped with motorized solar tracking, utilizing multiple PV technologies. The plant's performance is assessed over a 12-month period (January-December 2016) using both experimental data and simulations conducted with the PVGIS tool. Key performance indicators include the capacity factor (CF), reference yield (Yr), final yield (Yf), and performance ratio (PR). Experimentally measured annual averages were CF = 22.66%, Yr = 195.79 kWh/kWp, Yf = 154.96 kWh/kWp, and PR = 0.80. PVGIS simulations returned CF = 23.66%, Yr = 205.76 kWh/kWp, Yf = 173.83 kWh/kWp, and PR = 0.85. Strong correlations were found between PR and air temperature (R² = 0.8995), output power and irradiation (R² = 0.8577), and output power and module temperature (R² = 0.8577). These results confirm the plant's strong performance and support its scalability across Algeria's harsh Saharan climate.