Performance of Combined PV-Inverter System: Use of Amorphous and Crystalline Panels

Abstract

This paper is aimed at analyzing the performance of a combined PV-inverter system connected to an
external load using either amorphous or crystalline photovoltaic modules. The analysis is based on
previous theoretical analysis that uses the efficiency of the PV panel and of the DC/AC inverter as a
key parameter. Different configurations using the same energy resource have been simulated to
determine the efficiency of the PV panel, DC/AC inverter, and of the whole system. The theoretical
process shows that the global efficiency of the photovoltaic system increased from 87.2% in the case of
crystalline panels to 96% for amorphous ones. Experimental tests have been run to validate the
theoretical analysis. A very good agreement between theoretical results and experimental data has been
found within a standard deviation of σ = 0.633 and a maximum deviation of 1%.