Efficiency analysis of polycrystalline PV panels after ten years of exposure in UAE conditions

UAE recently committed to reach a target of 7% of renewable energy by 2020 in order to reduce dependence on fossil resources. Electrical energy production through photovoltaic (PV) panels has been increasing adopted in the region. Generally, PV panels are warrantied for 80 % of their efficiency even after 25 Years of service. However, actual field conditions of PV modules could give quite different results compare to specified results by the manufacturer due to high temperature, dusty and humid climate of UAE. These conditions might reduce the life span or efficiency of the modules when exposed to long periods. Therefore, outdoor testing and characterization of PV modules exposed for long term in these conditions is essential to design any PV power plant in UAE. In this paper, performance efficiency depletion of two poly crystalline PV panels is presented which are in service for 10 years in Ras-al-khaimah, UAE. Calculated average efficiency depletion around 25% was observed due to elevated temperatures and age factor whereas measure depletion showed better performance.