Methodology to Estimate the Impact of the DC to AC Power Ratio, Azimuth, and Slope on Clipping Losses of Solar Photovoltaic Inverters: Application to a PV System Located in Valencia Spain

Abstract

Renewable power capacity sets records annually, driven by solar photovoltaic power, which accounts for more than half of all renewable power expansion in 2021. In this sense, photovoltaic system design must be correctly defined before system installation to generate the maximum quantity of energy at the lowest possible cost. The proposed study analyses the oversizing of the solar array vs. the capacity of the solar inverter, seeking low clipping losses in the inverter. A real 4.2 kWp residential PV installation was modelled and validated using the software SAM and input data from different sources, such as a weather station for weather conditions, ESIOS for electricity rates, and FusionSolar to obtain energy data from the PV installation. Once data were validated through SAM, the DC to AC ratio was varied between 0.9 and 2.1. The azimuth and slope sensitivity analyses were performed regarding clipping inverter losses. Results have been evaluated through the energy generated and the discounted payback period, showing that, depending on the weather conditions, slope, and azimuth, among others, it is advisable to increase the DC to AC ratio to values between 1.63 and 1.87, implying low discounted payback periods of about 8 to 9 years. In addition, it was observed that inverter clipping losses significantly vary depending on the defined azimuth and slope.