Comparison of Open-Source Photovoltaic Performance Models Against Multi-Year Field Data

All freely available plane-of-array (POA) transposition models, photovoltaic (PV) module/cell temperature models, and PV performance models were examined against multi-year field data from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The data include different PV systems comprised of c-Si modules that vary in cell type, module construction, and materials. These systems have been characterized via IEC 61853 testing and the input data for each model were sourced from these test results. Six POA transposition models, seven temperature models, and twelve performance models are included in this comparative analysis. These freely available models were proven effective across many different types of c-Si technologies. Overall, it was observed that model complexity and/or availability of module-specific characterization data does not guarantee greater accuracy, at least in Albuquerque. The POA transposition and PV performance models exhibited average normalized mean bias errors (NMBE) within ±3 %; the mean and median residuals of the PV temperature models were within ±5°C.