Abstract:
Accurate energy yield prediction is critical to successfully develop, finance, commission, and operate solar photovoltaic projects. Over the past decade, there have been significant changes within the industry regarding typical design characteristics, technology, and geographic implications, including topography and high wind. Due to these changes, the solar energy yield assessment methodology merits continuous validation and refinement. In this white paper, Sargent & Lundy comprehensively analyzes five operational solar PV projects to validate pre-commercial operation energy yield assessments against recent operational data. By examining factors such as modeling methodology updates, resource variability, and operational losses, we identify key areas for improvement in yield estimation.
Our findings contribute to ongoing energy yield assessment methodologies refinement and provide valuable insights for the solar PV industry.
Authors: Evan Giacchino, Eric Soderlund, Eric DeCristofaro, Jake Silhavy, and Mohamad Sleiman