Experimental research on the performance of a BIPV system operating in Girardot, Colombia

Abstract

The improvement of the conversion efficiency of the photovoltaic panels, the efficiency of the inverters for connection to the electrical grid, and the dynamism of the distribution systems have had a direct impact on how energy is being generated in the residential, industrial, commercial, and transport sectors. This article shows an experimental study related to the analysis of a Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system and its performance. A monitoring process was applied during three years to evaluate the energy production, CO2 emissions and economical savings. The paper presents the energy performance results of a 9.5 kW BIPV system installed in the El Paso residential area, located in Colombia (in the city of Girardot, at 74.7799 longitude and 4.3828 latitude). The main results during the first 3 years of monitoring (March 2019–March 2022) show that the average energy generation of the system has been 9,910.5 kWh/year; the environmental impact has been 3,645.38 kgCO2-equ. for the first three years of operation and the economic savings by generating clean energy have been 4,776.24 USD.

Keywords

• Solar photovoltaics
• BIPVS
• Solar energy
• Renewables
• BIPVS performance